Guardia Civil officers in Mallorca have arrested a 68 year old American man -RJA- accused of illegally distributing fake impotence pills on the internet.

The arrest was carried out at the man's home in the town of Deiá at around 5.30pm last Friday evening.

He is thought to have been the leader of a group responsible for selling Viagra, Cialis, Propedio and Erectil tablets, found to be either lacking in active ingredients or with other serious manufacturing flaws.

The operation is believed to have netted millions of euros across the globe though mainly to disappointed customers in Germany.

In a joint operation with German police, an international arrest warrant was issued and a request made for the man's subsequent extradition to Germany, where he faces a prison term of around ten years.

RJA was arrested after he returned from a Christmas skiing holiday in the Swiss Alps.

The man is also sought by the FBI for the illegal distribution of a growth hormone.