Illegal online medicines shop linked to at least 27 deaths, prosecutor reveals
The Dutch authorities are investigating 27 deaths linked to medicines bought on the illegal online pharmaceuticals shop funcaps.nl, the Public Prosecution Service (OM) revealed in a preliminary hearing against the two owners of the shop. The 27 deaths are “probably just the tip of the iceberg,” the prosecutor said in the court in Zwolle on Monday, NOS reports.
During the summer, the police arrested three men from Limburg for illegally trading in pharmaceuticals. According to the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA), the suspects were selling unlicensed medications to customers without a prescription, including highly addictive medications prescribed for anxiety and serious sleep problems. The NWVA took the site down in August.
When searching the suspects’ homes and business premises in Limburg, the police seized a large quantity of pharmaceuticals, as well as bank accounts, crypto assets, vehicles, and other luxury goods.
The police launched this investigation after receiving a tip from the Healthcare and Youth Inspectorate. At least two funcaps.nl customers were only 17 years old when they placed their first order, the prosecutor said.
One of the people who died after taking drugs bought from funcaps.nl is 19-year-old Luca Bom. His father, Marijn, found him dead in bed on July 2, he told RTV Utrecht. Luca had bought the designer drug O-DSMT from the site, which likely caused his death.
“What I understand is that the drug is comparable to tramadol, a painkiller, but ten times stronger,” Bom said to the broadcaster. “It slows your breathing. Because it is so sedating, Luca simply slipped away in his sleep.” And now all he has left are memories of his “beautiful, sweet” boy. “Someone who always had other people’s best interests at heart.”
Bom doesn’t care about punishing the people behind funcaps.nl, he said. “I mostly hope that other young people don’t make the mistake Luca made. And that fewer parents have to go through what we’re going through now.”
He doesn’t want to make all drugs illegal. “But it should be a little less easy to order drugs. As a society, we need to become aware of how dangerous it is. I often talk about it with young colleagues. They say: Did you know that a pill is less harmful than a beer? Then I’m inclined to say: Have you ever tried a new beer and then didn’t wake up the next morning?”
