Illegal online pharmacist held in Tampere
Officials estimate that nearly 1,000 men may have purchased anti-impotence medication imported from China. The medicine could pose serious health risks for users suffering from heart disease.
Finnish customs officials suspect a middle-aged Tampere man of engaging in the illegal online sale of erectile dysfunction medication. Customs confiscated tens of thousands of pills found in the man’s possession. They suspect that as many as 1,000 men may have already purchased the drug.
Customers began tracking the illegal online pharmacy in January, when a postal tracking unit stumbled upon several “blanks” -- unlabeled packages with dubious contents. The blanks were said to be deliveries of tablets.
A raid on the delivery address turned up an astonishing sight – a cache of 55,000 pills, half of which were dietary supplements and the other half erectile dysfunction medication. Officials also confiscated some 200,000 euros in cash.
Five different mailing addresses
Before his apprehension by customs officials, the man had conducted his illegal web shop from five different addresses for about six months.
According to initial calculations, sales of illegal drugs in Finland reached up to one million euros last year.
Customs speculate that the man may have earned hundreds of thousands of euros from his illegal online business.
Customs anti-crime chief Hannu Sinkkonen told Yle that the operation has been particularly far-reaching.
“The man has been running the operation in spite of a business prohibition order. He had no kind of bookkeeping. We also suspect that he has not paid any employer contributions or taxes,” Sinkkonen explained.
“Responsibility for the safety of the medicines sold is another even more serious matter,” he added.
Anti-impotence drugs from China
The suspect sourced the pills for his illicit online trade from around the world; however they were all
manufactured in China.
“The anti-impotence pills sold to men contain the same active ingredients as the normal anti-impotence medication such as Viagra and Cialis that you can get from the pharmacy,” Sinkkonen said.
“However the percentages of the active medication in the pills are inconsistent, and are therefore potentially dangerous, for example for men suffering from heart disease,” he noted.
Customs are investigating the case as smuggling, drug offense and aggravated fraud offenses.
Latest in: News
Finnish income gap lower than European average
Income differences in Finland are below the average in Europe, according to Statistics Finland. The gap between richest and poorest is largest in Latvia and Bulgaria and smallest in Norway and Iceland.
Two tumble from Töölö balcony
One man died and another was seriously injured on Wednesday morning when they fell from a fifth-floor balcony in the Töölö district of Helsinki.
Evira: Don’t use datura-laced SOK veggies
The Finnish Food Safety Authority Evira has warned consumers not to use a frozen vegetable product sold by the SOK group that was found to be laced with seeds from the highly toxic datura plant.
Itella chops 180 management jobs
The state mail delivery and logistics company launched retrenchment talks in mid-April with the aim of cutting 350 jobs.
Researcher: Bullying should be nipped in the bud
Research shows that small children don’t have an inherent tendency to bully their peers, but learn the practice from others.
Met man: Monster tornado also possible in Finland
A meteorologist and storm chaser says that the kind of tornado that recently killed dozens of people in Oklahoma in the USA, is also possible in Finland. Finland suffered extensive destruction in a series of massive twisters that struck in 1932.
Workers' tax badge rule sees flood of registrations
In an effort to combat illegal labour practices, Finland’s tax authorities introduced a requirement for workers in the construction industry to register by way of individual tax numbers to be displayed on a badge. Authorities say that thousands of new workers are emerging as a result, with tax badges being assigned to carpenters, security guards and even cooks on the same construction site.
Lottery lands toilet tissue company in the can
Finland’s Consumer Ombudsman has taken the manufacturer of the well-known Lotus brand of toilet tissue to court for aggressive marketing. The company has offered consumers who buy its toilet paper a chance to win a 100,000-euro jackpot prize. However the chances of actually winning are paper-thin: just one in 2.4 billion.
Tax badges may be introduced for cleaners, too
This spring, tax badges became obligatory for builders -- and cleaning staff could be next.
Talvivaara mine stains river orange
The mine has been involved in a string of environmental mishaps -- and PR fiascos -- for more than six months.
