one arrest and 10 suspects for trafficking in doping substances

As part of a detailed investigation relating to illicit trafficking in anabolic substances, including narcotics, coordinated by the Public Prosecutor of Rimini, the Carabinieri of the Command for the Protection of Health they carried out 11 house searches, seizing tens of thousands of medicines, anabolic substances and narcotics.
The operation, carried out with the support of the Provincial Commands of the Armed Forces competent for the territory and in close synergy with the personnel of the Gendarmerie of the Republic of San Marino, in addition to the San Marino territory involved the provinces of Rimini, Rome, Pesaro Urbino, Asti, Vicenza, Monza Brianza, Verbano-Cusio Ossola and Genoa.
The effectiveness of the international police cooperation channels and the rapidity of the judicial rogatory action undertaken with the San Marino Law Commissioner made it possible, precisely in the foreign State, to arrest a San Marino citizen for the alleged crime of to public health through the manufacture, corruption, adulteration, placing into circulation of food or medicinal substances” (Article 242 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of San Marino), in whose availability a warehouse was found in which huge quantities of nandrolone were stored, anabolic steroids, testosterone, growth hormone and other various types of anabolic substances, the retail value of which is more than 2 million euros.
In the same circumstance, 300 thousand euros in cash were also found and seized, believed to be the profit of the illegal sale. A further 5 persons of Italian nationality, recipients of the same search order, were found in possession of similar anabolic substances and steroids, as proof of their illegal sale even outside the borders of the San Marino state.
The investigation arose from the monitoring of postal shipments directed to Italy from the Republic of San Marino, already subject to previous seizures for an amount of 2.5 kg of nandrolone (narcotic and anabolic substance, found inside parcels of foreign mail directed to the criminal group) and the simultaneous arrest in flagrante delicto of one of the members of the association.
The investigative results made it possible to reconstruct the illicit structure equipped with a certified “command center” between Rimini and the Republic of San Marino dedicated to the importation, production, storage and distribution throughout Italy of doping substances and narcotics dangerous to public health , with ramifications throughout the national territory through local distribution centers operating as affiliates.
The chemical-toxicological analyzes carried out have highlighted a further element of danger with regard to the substances offered for sale, represented both by the recurring creation of mixtures between several products, and by the presence of substances (such as sibutramine) banned from the market because they are very harmful and responsible, in other circumstances, of episodes of death, as well as liver and kidney poisoning.