An international criminal group, which distributed dietary supplements as medicines via the internet and used the names and faces of famous doctors in its advertisements, was dismantled in a joint operation by Bulgarian and European services. This was announced at a briefing at the General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime by the supervising prosecutor on the case from the Sofia Regional Prosecution Office, Teodora Todorova. <\/p>\n\n
According to investigators, the scheme generated a profit of approximately \u20ac240 million, with the products being advertised as treatments for serious illnesses and primarily targeting vulnerable patients.<\/p>\n\n
The investigation in Bulgaria began following a report from a doctor and former Minister of Health, who discovered that his name and image were being used to advertise products of unclear origin. Later, a report from another prominent Sofia-based doctor regarding a similar scheme was also added to the case. <\/p>\n\n
“The complainant is an individual with extensive experience and serious professional expertise, and he personally expressed great concern regarding the consequences of these advertisements,” Todorova stated.<\/p>\n\n
In the course of the investigation, it was established that the scheme also operated in other European countries, using the names and faces of popular figures to mislead consumers.<\/p>\n\n
Investigators from several countries focused their attention on a location in Sofia, from where the distribution of the products originated. This led to the creation of a joint investigation team between Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, Hungary, and Moldova at the end of 2025. <\/p>\n\n
Within the framework of the operation in our country, over 30 searches and seizures were carried out in homes, offices, and vehicles. Personal searches and witness interrogations were conducted with the participation of officers from the Cybercrime Directorate of the General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime, the Sofia Metropolitan Directorate of Internal Affairs, and representatives of Europol. <\/p>\n\n
During the operation, over 10 production facilities were uncovered in Sofia, Varna, and Burgas, where the dietary supplements were packaged and sent to various countries in Europe.<\/p>\n\n
According to the prosecution, some of the products were not registered, while others were found to have violations related to packaging and leaflets. Currently, there is no evidence of harmful content, but according to investigators, the danger lies in the fact that consumers were encouraged to discontinue their prescribed treatment. <\/p>\n\n
“In Bulgaria, we have serious legislative gaps when it comes to dietary supplements and related criminal activities,” Teodora Todorova further stated.<\/p>\n\n
In connection with the case, four foreign nationals with long-term residence status in our country have been identified and will be investigated in Romania. In our northern neighbor, six people have been detained for 30 days, while in Poland, one person has been arrested and three others are under lighter measures of restraint. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
An international criminal group, which distributed dietary supplements as medicines via the internet and used the names and faces of famous doctors in its advertisements, was dismantled in a joint operation by Bulgarian and European services. This was announced at a briefing at the General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime by the supervising prosecutor on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6846,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jet_sm_ready_style":"","_jet_sm_style":"","_jet_sm_controls_values":"","_jet_sm_fonts_collection":"","_jet_sm_fonts_links":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[96],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6845","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n