Interpol General Secretary Jürgen Stock warns that criminals will take advantage of the development of a coronavirus drug. The illegal trade in counterfeit products will increase if there is a drug in sight that promises healing or relief, he told the dpa news agency. The same can be seen with counterfeit medical products such as protective masks or disinfectants.
„There will be another big wave, a global wave, if we move forward on a vaccine,“ said the secretary general of the international police organization. Global crime quickly adapted to the coronavirus pandemic, said Stock.
„In the sense that it takes advantage of people’s new fears, worries and needs to re-orientate themselves with regard to criminal activities.“ This also affects the healthcare system in particular – for example when disposing of contaminated hospital waste.
Trying to „undermine the legitimate economy“
“We can see that organized criminals in Asia are currently trying to penetrate this market. They undercut themselves in price, they do not comply with the relevant regulations and, as it were, try to infiltrate the legitimate economy. ”Stock assumes that this practice could also become a problem in other parts of the world.
