Customs Seize 4,400 Erectile Dysfunction Products at Tovarnik
Smuggler transported goods worth over €100,000 in a truck with Serbian plates, while experts warn of serious health risks from such black market products.
Smuggler transported goods worth over €100,000 in a truck with Serbian plates, while experts warn of serious health risks from such black market products.
At the Tovarnik border crossing, customs officers prevented the entry of 4,400 various erectile dysfunction products, thwarting a smuggling operation worth over €100,000. The haul, consisting of tablets, sprays, gels, and other items, weighed a total of 118 kilograms and was discovered during an inspection of a truck with Serbian license plates.
According to Silvija Mlinarević, head of the Ilok Border Customs Office, the goods were found after an authorized customs officer opened the cargo area and conducted a thorough inspection. "Upon opening the cargo area and conducting a detailed inspection, the authorized customs officer found goods that differed from the declared ones," Mlinarević told Net.hr.
Instead of the declared water, the vehicle contained exactly 4,400 erectile dysfunction products in cardboard boxes. "These are 4,400 various erectile dysfunction products, totaling around 118 kilograms," Mlinarević explained.
The unusually large seizure has sparked a range of reactions from the public. Branko believes it's a shame the goods were confiscated: "Well, look, I don't need them, don't get me wrong, but I think it's a shame they seized them, so to speak. Let people enjoy themselves, for God's sake, especially people my age."
On the other hand, Domagoj is strongly against using such products: "I don't need them at all, nor would I use them, and for those who do need them, God forbid they use them." Davor, meanwhile, emphasizes that he wouldn't buy them on the black market even if he needed them: "I don't need them, and as for the black market, even if I needed them, I still wouldn't."
Lidija Ranogajec, head of a pharmacy, warned that black market medications are always of questionable composition and dosage. "Medications found on the black market are of questionable composition and dosage first and foremost, so it's often unknown what substance they contain or in what dose, which is certainly an even greater risk," Ranogajec said.
She particularly emphasized the danger for heart patients: "Consuming such a medication can expose heart patients to myocardial infarction or arrhythmias." Therefore, in Croatia, erectile dysfunction medications can only be legally purchased in pharmacies with a doctor's prescription.
Mlinarević explained that such goods regularly appear at the border, but in smaller quantities for personal use. "This is goods that regularly appear at the border crossing, but in smaller quantities, say for personal use, but since it's prohibited goods, it's regularly sanctioned and confiscated," she said.
The smuggler caught with 4,400 erectile dysfunction products was fined €13,200, and an additional €204 was charged for the destruction of the confiscated goods.
