A sex worker’s complaint of “poor quality” condoms led to the arrest of 10 people, of Chinese descent, who engaged in the illegal sale of these products, as well as erectile dysfunction drugs.

It is about a network that was dismantled in the middle of the development of an investigation in the province of Barcelona, ​​​​Spain, the national police of that country reported.

The investigative work “began as a result of a complaint filed by a customer who, after buying condoms of a well-known brand and noticing the poor quality, reported it to the parcel company that delivered it,” he confirmed on Wednesday, December 1. 31. May the police.

Condoms were “offered to prostitutes all over Spain and also in Poland and Italy”.

The network, according to authorities, was “a highly hermetic, professionalized and specialized criminal group, whose members used various technological security measures to avoid detection”.

Specialized agents from the Central Cybercrime Unit took charge of the investigation.

The EFE agency, when reporting on the matter, noted that the condoms were “offered to prostitutes all over Spain and also in Poland and Italy”. During raids, 20,000 condoms and a large number of mobile phones were recovered.

They agreed with the woman who filed the complaint: “The products lacked medical control, both in production and subsequent prescription.” Photo: Unsplash

Condoms without medical supervision

When delving into the details of this operation, the institution pointed out that this group reported for the illegal sale of condoms and erectile dysfunction drugs did so through messaging applications.

They agreed with the woman who filed the complaint: “The products lacked medical control, both in production and subsequent prescription.”

They contacted sex workers

After negotiating with the parcel company, Spain’s national police say, “the agents confirmed the existence of a large number of buyers across the country, verifying that most of the customers were women engaged in prostitution.”

The contacts “were obtained through the portals where the women advertised their services and offered condoms and medicines.” The police thus confirmed that the products were “offered via instant messaging applications”.

The victims cooperated in the investigation and “provided samples of the condoms that were sent both to the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (AEMPS) and to the distribution company of a well-known brand of condoms in Spain.”

The results were what was feared: the AMEPS found that “the products did not meet the requirements for commercialization in our country (Spain) and that it could therefore not be guaranteed that they offered an adequate level of protection”.

While the distributor assumed it was a “clear fake article because the expiration date does not match the lot number, the condoms have bad edges and a font that does not use the original brand.”

The detainees

A month ago, at the end of April 2023, the police carried out two raids “in Badalona, ​​​​​​where the main people under investigation lived, and Hospitalet de Llobregat.”

Screaming police! They broke open the doors of the buildings.

The officers found a large number of condoms of different brands and drugs for erectile dysfunction, in addition to “numerous computer equipment that showed the enormous professionalization and specialization of the developed criminal activity.”

In concrete terms, 22 mobile phones were connected and linked to equipment from which customers and sales were optimally managed.

Spanish National Police

The operation ended with the arrest of 10 citizens of Chinese descent.

Mobile phones and computers (50) were intervened, some 20,000 pieces of condoms of various brands and thousands of units of erectile dysfunction drugs of Chinese, Japanese, Indian and American origin.

Topical sexual stimulants and 15,525 euros (more than $16,000) in cash were also seized.

Some “professionals”

According to Spanish police, the network had “applications to anonymize internet connections, as well as browsers that allow them to go undetected on the dark web or navigate in incognito mode, which prevents browsing history from being viewed.”

Another important piece of information that emerged from the investigation: the uniformed officers “found a web page controlled by the main person under investigation, offering an erectile dysfunction drug in the same format as the one found in the search.”