Italy seizes two million doses of sex, bodybuilding drugs

Italian authorities said Wednesday they had seized 2.1 million doses of illegal Indian-made drugs used to improve sexual performance and build muscle mass, with a street value of 20 million euros.

In the largest haul of its kind in Italy, the shipment was found in a lorry arriving from Greece in the Adriatic port of Ancona, the financial crimes police said.

They said the seizures of the drugs -- which are not legally available in Italy -- averted a "serious and immediate threat to the health of potential consumers".

The shipment, registered on customs documents as cosmetics, included 1.7 million doses of drugs used for erectile dysfunction.

There were also 400,000 doses of drugs containing hormones to promote pregnancy, "often used in the world of bodybuilders to increase muscle mass", and an anti-epileptic drug used to enhance the effect of other drugs.