7. TRAFFICKING
7.5. What is the role of the police in connection
The Danish National Police has contributed to the following section.
7.5.1 Are there specific groups focusing on AAS and doping in general?
The Danish National Police advise that they are not aware of any police districts that have established special groups to investigate doping cases. A few police districts have nevertheless chosen to focus on doping along with other drug investigations.
This has resulted in more frequent dialogue between the police officers involved and Anti Doping Denmark, including advice in connection with the seizure of substances. In addition, this positive contact has led to Anti Doping Denmark holding lectures for all interested police officers at the police stations in question, which has improved the general knowledge of partici-pating police officers.
7.5.2 Do police carry out searches and raids in specific environments?
To the extent that the police districts become aware of extensive illegal import, distribution, possession or manufacture of dop-ing substances, they investigate the matter, which may include searches and raids to the extent permitted by law. Use of the Internet in the form of visits to websites and various forums can also form part of an investigation.
7.5.5 Data from police work – drug seizures
Doping substances are often seized in criminal environments, and it is not uncommon to seize doping substances together with other drugs. Seizures of large amounts of doping substanc-es have also occurred in connection with extensive invsubstanc-estiga- investiga-tions of thefts and break-ins where doping substances have been stolen from pharmaceutical companies.
The Danish National Police record the seizure of doping sub-stances in a database using a procedure similar to that for any other drugs they seize. The substances are recorded on the basis of reports from police districts. The recording was discontin-ued in 2002 but resumed in October 2010 at the request of the Danish Ministry of Justice. The substances are recorded in units, milligrams, millilitres and ampoules. The names of the preparations seized are not recorded in the police database.
Until record-keeping was resumed in 2010, police districts were not required to report the seizure of doping substances. The following figures from 2010 are thus incomplete, and the actual figures for amounts seized during these years are probably higher (see Table 7.3).
The Netherlands
7.5. What is the role of the police in connection with AAS?
The role of the police is relatively small in the detection of AAS. They occasionally encounter them by accident. In the past they were tolerated, but now they are more likely to be seized and reported to the IGZ. The IGZ then compiles an of-ficial report on what is to be included in the criminal proceed-ings. Each year there are around 10 of these types of reports by the police to the IGZ. A couple of times a year, the police call the Doping Authority’s Info Line. When substances have been discovered, they often ask which substances are involved and whether the quantity indicates they are being trafficked or pos-sessed for personal use.
Sweden
7.5. What is the role of the police in connection with AAS?
7.5.1. Are there specific groups focusing on AAS and doping in general?
Much of the doping work carried out by the police is infor-mation-controlled national work to fight individual criminals and criminal organisations, and this takes place in cooperation between the National Criminal Investigations Department and the operational county police authorities. However, the police are also working to combat doping on a local level with train-ing facilities, for example (Swedish National Institute of Public Health, 2009).
7.5.2. Do police carry out searches and raids in specific environments?
Initiatives concerning training facilities
The police have raided several training facilities all over the country, including an extensive raid on approximately 40 fitness centres in Stockholm which took place in February 2011. This initiative targeted around 40 fitness centres in the Stockholm area where it was suspected that AAS were being used. This doping raid was the biggest initiative to date involving fitness centres and doping. Approximately 60 people were suspected of doping crime and were asked to provide urine samples. The police seized weapons and narcotics as well as doping
prepa-Year 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2010 2011
Cases 52 59 172 242 249 325 260 1,009 1,160
Units 227,614 97,987 167,667 220,747 69,077 133,874 254,638 199,589 183,189
Table 7.3 Seizure of doping substances registered by the Danish police
1150 1200 1250 1300 1350
Number of seizures
2008 2009
Figure 7.4: Number of seizures of doping agents carried out by the police, 2008 and 2009. Source: Swedish Customs and the Swedish National Criminal Investigation Department.
Number 2006 2007
Tablets 235,044 87,448
Fluids, ml 23,521 49,826
Powders, grams 641 1,261
Table 7.4 Number of amounts of doping agents (tablets, fluids and powders) seized by the Swedish police, 2006 and 2007.
Source: Anti-doping Hot-line 0
200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 2000
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 2000
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Figure 7.6: Number of crimes in contravention of the Doping Act, 2001–2010. Source: Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention Figure 7.5: Number of seizures of doping agents carried out by the
Swedish police and Swedish Customs, 2000 - 2009. Source: Swedish National Criminal Investigation Department & Swedish Customs, 2009
rations. A major raid also took place in Gothenburg in May 2011. This raid covered 17 fitness centres, and 35 men aged 18–25 were detained so that samples could be provided. 16 homes were also searched.
Examples of other specific raids against doping Raw Deal
The summer of 2007 saw the start of cooperation between the DEA (the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency) and the informa-tion secinforma-tion at the Swedish Nainforma-tional Criminal Investigainforma-tion Department. The DEA had begun an operation against the illegal trade in hormone preparations in the U.S. One of the aims of their operation was to target the major sales of raw sub-stances (100% purity) from China – raw subsub-stances which were highly likely to have been intended for own manufacture and sale of usable preparations. The idea was not only to eliminate the major sellers, but also to cover the entire distribution chain.
The DEA contacted China, and a certain degree of cooperation was built up. During the investigation prior to the operation, it turned out that Swedish customers were involved, along with customers from Mexico, Australia, Canada, Germany, Thai-land, Belgium, Spain and Denmark. Europol was contacted, followed by the National Criminal Investigation Department, which identified 20 or so people suspected of serious crime in accordance with the Doping Act. In September 2007, a col-lective action took place involving raids all over the world. 14 people were arrested in Sweden. The majority had not been sus-pected of any similar crimes before (Swedish National Institute of Public Health, 2009).
Bosco
When the police arrested a person in Malmö for serious doping crime in 2008, large quantities of AAS were found, including a 20 kg package from China. This hailed the start of Opera-tion Bosco. A 5 kg pack had recently been sent by the person arrested to a person living in Gävle, and so a search of that person’s home was requested. Large quantities of AAS, drugs and cash were found at the home of the suspect in Gävle. The National Criminal Investigation Department was involved, and a large number of people who had made purchases (probably via an Internet forum set up by the person from Gävle and/or the person from Malmö) were traced. At a specific time, two months after the arrest of the person from Malmö, a number of police authorities in Sweden carried out a collective raid, with searches and arrests (Swedish National Institute of Public Health, 2009).
7.5.3. Use of surveillance of specific groups, places and environments
There is no general, structured surveillance, but surveillance of various kinds does take place in connection with tipoffs and cases linked with doping.
7.5.4. Use of surveillance of websites and debate forums used for sale of AAS
Surveillance of various types takes place in connection with tip-offs and cases relating to doping; see 2.5.
7.5.5. Data from police work (e.g. seizures, etc.) See:
• Figure 7.4: Number of seizures of doping agents carried out by the Swedish police, 2008 and 2009
• Figure 7.5: ”Number of seizures of doping agents carried out by the Swedish police and Swedish Customs, 2000-2009
• Figure 7,6: “Number of crimes in contravention of the Dop-ing Act, 2001-2010”
• Table 7.4: ”Number of amounts of doping agents (tablets, fluids and powders) seized by the Swedish police, 2006 and 2007”.
Poland
7.5. What is the role of the police in connection with AAS
7.5.1. Are there specific groups focusing on AAS and doping in general?
The police focus on groups involved in the distribution of AAS.
Usually they are organised groups, “professionally” involved in organised crime. In some cases, distribution of AAS is con-nected with the distribution of other illegal substances, such as medicines or drugs. In some cases, this type of activity is con-nected with other types of criminal activity.
7.5.2. Do police carry out searches and raids in specific environments?
Police make raids on members of organised criminal groups. It must be remembered that raids are only possible if the police have information confirming commission of a crime. Without such information there is no legal basis to start operations, searches or raids.
7.5.3. Use of surveillance of specific groups, places and environments
The police, like other services, make use of intelligence data provided by informants, data collected during investigations and data available on the Internet. The operation mode is identical to that followed in the case of other crimes committed by organised criminal groups.
7.5.4. Use of surveillance of websites and debate forums used for sale of AAS
According to the information provided by the police headquar-ters, the police monitor websites and Internet portals contain-ing information about AAS. However, it is not easy to pros-ecute website owners for the inclusion of information which is contradictory to the principle of public health. Owners of
such Internet portals usually publish a disclaimer and state that they are not liable for the information published there and that they do not support or encourage the use of doping substances.
Based on the information provided by the police, it is extremely difficult to monitor the illegal distribution and sale of AAS on the Internet because of the great complexity of such transac-tions, which are usually effected on servers located outside the EU.
Cyprus
7.5. What is the role of the police in connection with AAS?
7.5.1. Are there specific groups focusing on AAS and doping in general?
In Cyprus, a special unit of the Cyprus Police – the Drug Law Enforcement Agency – is given the task of investigating doping cases along with other drug investigations. There is close and constructive collaboration between the Cyprus Anti-Doping Authority and the Drug Law Enforcement Agency.
7.5.2. Do police carry out searches and raids in specific environments?
The Drug Law Enforcement Agency of the Cyprus Police performs searches and raids whenever there is information and/
or suspicion of activities that constitute potential violation of the Cyprus anti-doping laws such as import, trafficking, posses-sion, or manufacture of doping substances. In 2010, premises searched and raided by the Cyprus Police included houses, stores selling nutritional supplements, and a so-called “kitchen laboratory” producing AAS and other doping substances.
7.5.3. Use of surveillance of specific groups, places and environments
The Drug Law Enforcement Agency and other departments and units of the Cyprus Police use surveillance of various kinds in connection with activities that constitute potential violation of the Cyprus anti-doping laws.
7.5.4. Use of surveillance of websites and debate forums used for sale of AAS
Surveillance of websites is practised by the relevant department of the Cyprus Police in connection to crimes including doping as defined by the laws of Cyprus.
Denmark