The Media Explains to Us Why It's Dangerous to Cover EPO's "Cocainegate"
From Private Eye almost exactly a decade ago:
"We are following your latest series on the EPO's "Cocainegate" scandal with interest," said readers who prefer to remain anonymous. We know some newsrooms keep a watchful eye. They make no secret/s about it. Earlier today we saw more interest from journalists, but they seem hesitant or afraid, knowing the EPO and the former employer of António Campinos (EU, or EUIPO) can be litigious and SLAPP-savvy. The EPO spends many millions of euros each year (years ago it was about 6 million euros) lawyering up against its own staff, not just against us.
"First of all," some familiar observer noted, "just to briefly review the relevant facts: The arrest of the central protagonist was reported in various German and English-speaking media on 29 September 2025 (originally by the German tabloid BILD)."
The BILD article is behind a paywall but can be accessed here. We gave this URL before. The story was repeated (without pictures) by other media such as Focus Online, we were reminded, and even lesser known sites in Austria [1, 2] (where EPO has a 'branch') and in Bavaria ('home base' of EPO)
![Bavaria’s justice strikes hard: Oktoberfest visitor [High-level EPO official based in Germany, not Spanish visitor] fined €40.000 for 1 gram of cocaine](/i/2025/11/bust-epo.png)
Until now the mainstream media refuses to name the person despite the EPO making rather obvious it was him.
Does the EPO command the European media? █