Illegal Prescription Ring Uncovered: Over €1.2 Million Loss to EOPYY

Following a large-scale operation, law enforcement has dismantled an illegal prescription ring led by two pharmacists in collaboration with the National Organization for Healthcare Provision (EOPYY). The damage caused to the organization exceeded €1.2 million due to fraudulent prescriptions. On Tuesday, May 27, 2025, five members of the ring were arrested, along with two other individuals, while 15 more are under investigation. Legal proceedings have been initiated against them for charges including forming, joining, and leading a criminal organization, falsifying certifications, fraud, forgery, issuing fake prescriptions, unauthorized access to personal data systems, drug trafficking, money laundering, and illegal possession of firearms. Investigations revealed that since July 2017, the group had been involved in forging documents, illegally processing personal data, distributing narcotics, and laundering proceeds from their crimes. The network consisted of two pharmacy owners as leaders, a pharmacy employee, a pathologist, and a general practitioner operating in Attica and Corinth regions, each with specific roles. They exploited existing structures like pharmacies and clinics to identify AMKA numbers, issue fake prescriptions, execute them falsely, and trade medications illicitly, causing significant losses to EOPYY. The accused issued false prescriptions primarily targeting individuals who hadn’t activated digital prescription services, making it harder for insured persons to detect fraud. They also used AMKAs of uninsured individuals or obtained them during coronavirus tests at the pharmacies. By signing receipts instead of insured patients and forging signatures, they deceived EOPYY. The forged prescriptions included a wide range of drugs, including narcotics and psychotropic substances, which were further distributed through the implicated pharmacy. Searches conducted at homes, storage areas, clinics, and pharmacies across Attica resulted in the seizure of 17,389 packages of illegally prescribed medications, including those containing narcotics, various weapons, ammunition, numerous documents, mobile phones, and €13,050 in cash. The arrested individuals have been handed over to the relevant judicial authorities.