00:01It would be an easy topic to laugh at if it wasn't a matter of public health.
00:05Brussels' anti-fraud investigators at OLAF just broke up an international smuggling group.
00:10And criminals tried to slip their illegal cargo past European border checks using a bizarre disguise.
00:17They declared their shipments as children's toys to evade customs controls.
00:21But there was a problem because the boxes did not contain toys at all.
00:27The cross-border network distributed more than 200,000 counterfeit condoms across the continent.
00:33Smugglers targeted three specific nations as their main entry hubs – Romania, Serbia and Spain.
00:39And when the border teams intercepted the fakes, it turned out they all come from a single source in China.
00:45And the total black market value of this illegal shipment sits at over 200,000 euros.
00:50But you see, potential health costs will be much higher.
00:53The European Anti-Fraud Office warns these fakes are untested and unsafe.
00:58Or, in plain English, they can spread infections and cause unplanned pregnancies.
01:04But there is also a bigger picture here.
01:06Fake condoms are just one part of the massive black market boom across the continent.
01:11And I'll give you an example.
01:13Last year, a global Interpol crackdown seized 57 million euros worth of counterfeit medicines.
01:19And this part is important.
01:22When it comes to Europe, the main targets were fake weight-loss pens and cosmetic and performance-enhancing peptide supplements.
01:29For distribution, criminals do not even need to use the dark web anymore.
01:33They simply flood social media to sell their knockoffs straight to your feed.
01:38But back to our fake condoms.
01:40Brussels claims this raid proves European enforcement works.
01:44But it also shows how criminals exploit the system.
01:47The continent still remains open to black market fakes.
01:50And with countless cases going unnoticed, it might look like Europe is left without protection.
01:57城 lost 64 million euros.
01:58102 millionbournworld.
02:00Episode 11.
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