EEAY: Handcuffs to doctors and pharmacists for virtual prescriptions – Over 3.5m euros damage

The members of two different criminal organizations carrying out virtual prescriptions are in the hands of the Economic Police, causing damage to the National Health Services Agency (EOPY) that exceeds 3.5 million euros. As has become known, a long-term investigation by the Economic Police in which the formation and activity of the organizations was verified, and after a large-scale operation carried out on Friday, a total of 16 members were arrested. These are four doctors of Public Health Structures in Attica and Boeotia, owners and employees of eight pharmacies in Attica, a medical visitor of a drug-producing company and a person who had the role of intermediary. The illegal activity of criminal organisations began in at least January 2020, while it emerged that they had a similar purpose, mode of action as well as common as appropriate members operating at the same time. In particular, it was found that the members of the two organizations having lasting action and distinct roles, initially through their physicians-members in the systematic issuing of false prescriptions to A.M.C.A.—mostly foreign-persons. These individuals, either had been removed from the country, or were incarcerated in Detention Stores, or were accommodated in various structures, thus not able to ascertain false prescription. In fact, members used A.M.C. to maximize their profits. A. uninsured persons, as their participation in E.O.P. expenditure P.S. was zero. Then, through their members’ companies/pharmacies, they performed virtual executions of prescriptions, signing execution documents instead of the insured, forging their signatures. The further disposal of illegally prescribed medicinal products was carried out through pharmacies and doctors to customers, both in Greece and abroad. Subsequently, the proceeds from their illegal activity were either mixed with legal income through the issuing of virtual retail receipts, or stored in bank deposit boxes. It is noted that, among medicines that were falsely prescribed, drugs as well as other psychotropic substances are included, while some of the drugs are lacking in both the Greek and the international markets. Since the investigation so far, illegal use –3.516 – A.M.C. has been established. A. under which false – 90.186 – recipes were issued, with damage to the E.O.P. YY, to exceed EUR 3,500.284.98. In addition, the illegal activity of a drug store owner, which put medicinal products in circulation, which could cause a risk to human health, was also verified in the context of the investigations, while some of these preparations were supplied by a pharmacy of criminal organizations. At the expense of all the above arrested, a case-file was formed for – as the case may be – incorporation into a criminal organisation, forgery after use, false confirmation, continued at the expense of the Greek State and N.P.D. with a total benefit and a corresponding loss exceeding 120,000 euros, fraud jointly, continuously and professionally against the Greek State and the N.P.D. with a total benefit and a corresponding loss exceeding EUR 120,000, without the right to intervene in a personal data archiving system, to obtain knowledge of such data and to use it, with a total benefit and equivalent loss exceeding EUR 120,000, money laundering from criminal activities, distinguished drug trafficking and the marketing of harmful drugs. In surveys carried out in houses, warehouses, hospitals, pharmacies, Public Health Structures and banking lockers, more than 9,000 packages of illegally prescribed medicinal products were found and seized: over 9,000 packages of illegally prescribed medicinal products, including preparations containing narcotics, 451,140 euros, $10,000 U.S. dollars, $8,000 Australian dollars, 2 gold rods with a total weight of 1 kg, £109 gold, numerous documents (handwritten notes with medical payments, doctor’s cancellations, prescriptions/knowledges, etc.), mobile phones, computers and other digital evidence. Arrested were taken to the competent prosecutor and referred to a main interrogation. It is recalled that citizens can communicate, anonymously or surnamely, at the telephone number 11012 or at the web portal of the Greek State (gov.gr) ‘Complaint on financial crimes’ means to provide information or to denounce illegal and arbitrary actions or activities against the economic, public property sector, as well as social and insurance welfare and rights.