2023-07-31 06:42:44
09:21 PM
Sergio Suárez was the bridge from a criminal business to legality. Taking advantage of his position at the National Institute for Food and Drug Surveillance (Invima), Suárez allegedly intervened in normal protocols so that a smuggling network could easily market drugs to treat vital diseases such as cancer and HIV that were altered and in bad shape
Suárez’s work was clear and concise. From his position in the Directorate of Medicines and Biological Products of that entity, he intervened so that the other officials of the entity granted sanitary registrations and import resolutions to the contraband pharmaceutical marketer that evidently did not comply with the sanitary requirements demanded by law.
The criminal network was made up, in addition to Suárez, of 13 other people, including workers from other legally constituted pharmaceutical companies, marketers, and even personnel from Healthcare Provider Institutions (IPS). All were prosecuted before the Prosecutor’s Office and are awaiting a final ruling by the judge.
That’s how the business worked
It seemed like a round deal because, in Colombia, medicines for institutional use to treat this type of disease, which are classified as vital, are not widely distributed due to their high cost.
So, according to the investigations of the Prosecutor’s Office, the criminal network illegally entered the country the products to cover that demand that apparently did not have a competent supplier. However, these medicines arrived expired and in poor condition, so the work of Invima officials, including Suárez, was essential to give continuity to the business.
According to the Specialized Director against Human Rights Violations, Hugo Tovar Pérez, after the medicines arrived in the country from Venezuela to border cities such as Cúcuta, they were transferred to Bogotá in precarious conditions and as parcels to give them the appearance of legality.
To do this, the criminal network agreed with a specific transport company, the license plate number and the cell phone number of the bus driver to arrange the delivery of medicines at the transport terminals or on some public highway.
Subsequently, the leading role was for Suárez. The prosecutors in the case found that between January 2021 and July 2023 he allegedly interceded 15 times to get the documents issued and thus support the sale of the criminal structure’s altered drugs. In other words, thanks to this procedure, they were able to modify the expiration dates, manufacturing batches and records to give them the appearance of an authentic medicine to treat diseases such as cancer and HIV.
In addition to interfering in those papers, Suárez also had to erase any type of fine or sanction that could affect the marketer so that it could deliver the medicines to clinics, hospitals, nursing homes and suppliers in Bogotá, Cauca, Valle del Cauca, Nariño and Caquetá. .
In exchange for that, Suárez “agreed within Invima, the payment of sums of money to be distributed with officials. Money that was delivered in parks near Invima, restaurants, shopping centers and in his own place of residence,” said the prosecutor in charge during the hearing against the former official.
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The next step was to make the connection with the hospitals. For this, the criminal network had records in the Chamber of Commerce, under the economic activity of marketers of pharmaceutical and medicinal products with social reasons that they used as a front to generate false invoices and purchase orders.
Then, through a drug marketer, they recruited different patients with diseases of this type, who were managed by the EPS for the delivery and application of high-cost drugs imported from the United States, India, China, but which turned out to be counterfeit. .
With the purpose of achieving this goal, they were in charge of finding doctors in the EPS who would formulate these drugs at their convenience in exchange for financial remuneration.
Also read: 17 medicines are in short supply: there is none for HIV and leukemia
For being the driving bridge so that the network could commercialize in a “legal” way the medicines that they obtained on the black market at a very low cost, Suárez was charged with the crimes of conspiracy to commit a crime and influence peddling as a public servant, both as From author. Suárez did not accept the charges but was captured by CTI officials after he appeared to attend to a court order against him. Another 13 people from the criminal network fell with him and the Prosecutor’s Office continues with the investigations of other Invima officials.
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