TRIESTE – Over 900,000 doses of pharmaceuticals originating from non-EU countries have been seized by officers of the II Gruppo Venezia of the Italian Financial Police and officials from the Customs and Monopolies Agency at the Fusina terminal in Porto Marghera. Hidden at the bottom of a semi-trailer disembarked from a cargo vessel arriving from Greece, concealed beneath a cover load of goods destined for various Italian logistics companies, four pallets with rudimentary packaging were discovered. The cargo, wrapped in black cellophane to prevent immediate detection, was initially scanned using a mobile scanner. A subsequent physical inspection led to the discovery of pharmaceutical substances of Asian origin, which lacked the mandatory certificates and authorizations from the relevant health authorities.
Laboratory tests confirmed that the product, identified as a urological medicine, would have had a black-market value of approximately €2.3 million. The investigation is part of a broader plan to intensify controls on product safety and to prevent customs violations, in order to safeguard public health and protect the State’s fiscal interests. These products, in fact, not being certified or authorized by the competent health authorities, are at risk of being altered or modified compared to their original branded counterparts, or may contain active ingredient levels that differ from those permitted in Italy.
The importation of medicines into the national territory without the required authorization from AIFA (Italian Medicines Agency) is prohibited. Consequently, all the seized products were placed under criminal seizure, and those responsible have been reported to the local Public Prosecutor’s Office for violations of Legislative Decree 219/2006.
