Lorraine Williamson
Spain has become the latest front in the fight against online crime, after police uncovered a scheme that allegedly mixed hacking, identity theft and the black-market supply of prescription medicines. Spain’s Policía Nacional says the group generated and sold forged medical prescriptions through internet channels, helping buyers obtain drugs that should only be dispensed with a doctor’s authorisation.
Officers arrested 12 people in several provinces and reported a further suspect under investigation, but not detained. Two alleged leaders have been remanded in custody, accused of running a structured criminal network rather than a loose online hustle.
A scheme built for speed — and scale
The investigation began in June, after police detected messaging profiles and groups offering forged prescriptions, particularly for analgesics and anaesthetic substances. According to investigators, the operation’s edge was technical: the suspects allegedly obtained registered doctors’ credentials illegally, then used those identities to create prescriptions that appeared authentic.
Police say the group went further by developing software that allowed users to generate prescriptions themselves. That step, investigators believe, helped automate the fraud, widen demand and increase profits, while also pushing more controlled medicines into circulation without medical oversight.
Guardia Civil break up online medicine network
Eight searches across Spain, with cash and pills seized
In November, the police operation moved into its enforcement phase with eight simultaneous searches, including in Madrid, Torrelavega, Ourense, Córdoba, Alicante, Toledo, Alcobendas and Ponferrada. Officers seized more than 1,000 pills from different medicines, 14 mobile phones, over €44,000 in cash, storage devices, bank cards, as well as bladed weapons and replica firearms.
Investigators describe a pyramid-style structure, with two men allegedly at the top, supported by specialist roles responsible for credential theft and software development, and a lower layer handling distribution. The offences under investigation include criminal organisation, public health crimes, computer damage, document forgery and identity theft.
Why AEMPS warns against “easy” online medicine deals
AEMPS, Spain’s medicines regulator, draws a clear legal line: only medicines not subject to prescription may be sold online, and only by authorised, public-facing pharmacies. It also states that the online sale of prescription-only medicines is prohibited, a rule designed to prevent unsafe self-medication and diversion into illegal markets.
For consumers, AEMPS points to Distafarma, the official directory that allows you to verify whether a pharmacy website is authorised to sell non-prescription medicines online. The message is simple: if a seller is operating outside those channels, you are outside the regulated supply chain and its safety checks.
The investigation remains open
Policía Nacional says the case is still active and further arrests are possible, as investigators analyse seized devices and financial material. For readers, the story is also a reminder that online fraud is no longer only about money — it can carry real health risks when prescription controls are bypassed.
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