Greece arrests Algerian suspected of smuggling pain relief drug to France

FILE PHOTO: Police officers stand guard outside the Greek police headquarters in Athens September 28, 2013. REUTERS/Giorgos Moutafis/File Photo

ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek police arrested an Algerian man suspected of smuggling tablets of pain-fighting drug pregabalin to France from Greece, following an operation with French authorities and EU police agency Europol.

The 28-year-old obtained drugs containing pregabalin from pharmacies in Greece and shipped them to Paris and other French cities over the past three years, police said on Wednesday. The anti-seizure drug is used to treat epilepsy and anxiety and can cause relaxation and euphoria.