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Federal Finance Minister Schäuble warns against illegal drugs
With the German citizens it becomes more and more popular to order drugs online. But especially with drugs from the network threatens dangers. Customs withdrew around four million counterfeit tablets last year.
Germans are ordering more and more drugs online
Although a recent survey showed that Germans trust the pharmacy around the corner to protect themselves against counterfeit medicines, it is also known that more and more Germans are ordering medicines online. The net contains almost everything that makes you slim, beautiful or strong. There you can order quickly with a mouse click - very discreetly. However, it has long been warned that there are many risks for consumers, especially with online orders: many products are counterfeits from illegal suppliers.
Especially Germans order drugs more often online and let go of any caution. And although the customs has ensured millions of counterfeit medicines. (Image: Andrzej Tokarski / fotolia.com) Illegal trade in counterfeit medicines is booming
Be it potency, slimming or anabolic steroids: The illegal trade in counterfeit medicines is booming. As the news agency dpa reports, it is in the international comparison of all the German citizens, according to the findings of the German customs illegal Internet offerings use very intensively and miss any caution. According to the customs statistics for 2015, investigators withdrew significantly more illegal and counterfeit medicines from the market last year than in previous years. According to the report, around 3.9 million tablets were taken in 2015 - nearly four times more than in 2014.
Active ingredients and finished products from Asia
Federal Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble (CDU) warned in the dpa message: "I recommend everyone to buy drugs online only from proven reputable sources." Experts had pointed out in the past that reputable online pharmacies sell drugs only for prescription, if this are prescription. The supposed bargain hunting could have significant health consequences. As the politician explained, increasingly larger criminal structures and distribution boards would be revealed. Compared to 2014, the number of people who were investigated by the customs has risen from 3,100 to 4,100. According to the customs, most of the active ingredients and finished products come from China, but many also from India and Thailand.
Especially popular are lifestyle products
It is rumored that four-digit profit margins in illegal drug trafficking attracted a lucrative business. According to this, more money could be made here than in the narcotics and drugs trade. Lifestyle products are especially popular. According to the customs experts, the websites of illegal online pharmacies are professionally designed to simulate seriousness. According to the experts, the German consumers just miss any on-line orders of medicines. According to a British study, Germany is "surprisingly" number one in the risk-taking of Internet orders. Accordingly, 38 percent of Germans are willing to order risky products on the Internet.
"To lie to and cheat on you"
All the more incomprehensible is the result, since just prescription drugs would be paid mainly by the health insurance. But even with alleged pharmaceuticals based on plants, counterfeit products are often fooled by consumers. As it is further stated in the agency message, "embarrassment orders" such as the sexual enhancer Viagra are unnecessary, because these products could be obtained legally anyway anyway. The customs experts also criticize that orders often do not even read the imprint of online pharmacies. For example, a fake address of an internet pharmacy set up by approved investigators has received 1,400 orders. And that, although in the imprint of this on-line offer was pointed out expressly to the following: "this pharmacy was created only to lie to you and to deceive ..." (ad)