£5 million of fake and illegal drugs seized in global operation
Friday September 30th, 2011
More than £5million worth of counterfeit and illegal medicines have been seized in a worldwide crackdown on the illicit internet trade in pharmaceuticals, it was announced yesterday.
More than 80 countries took part in the INTERPOL-co-ordinated Operation Pangea, the largest internet-targeting enforcement action of its kind, between September 20 and 27.
A total of 55 people were arrested or placed under investigation worldwide and approximately 13,500 illegal online pharmacy websites were shut down.
The operation targeted the internet infrastructure, the electronic payment system and the mail delivery service.
Internationally, more than 45,000 packages were inspected by regulators and customs officials, resulting in the seizure of approximately 2.5 million doses of unlicensed and counterfeit pills.
In the UK, enforcement officers from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), with assistance from local police, arrested 13 people and raided 16 addresses in connection with the illegal internet supply of medicines.
MHRA, with the UK Border Agency, seized more than one million doses of illegal medicine, worth approximately £2 million, which included 52,000 doses of counterfeit pills.
MHRA acting head of enforcement, Nimo Ahmed, said: “When you buy medicines from an unregulated source you don’t know what you’re getting, where it came from or if it’s safe to take.
“The dose could be too high or too low, or the ingredients could break down incorrectly in the body, which makes the medicine ineffective.”
Taking “short cuts” could also expose buyers to identity theft or credit card fraud, he added.
The Metropolitan Police Service Police Central eCrime Unit (PCeU) also took action to combat those profiting from the unlawful sale and distribution of pharmaceuticals online.
More than 12,000 generic top level domains and sub domains have been suspended and they have requested a further 500 domain names on the UK domain tree be shut down.
UKBA senior operations manager - Coventry International Hub, Chris Bagley, said, “The massive haul detected by our officers during this week of action makes it clear just how seriously we take the smuggling of fake and unlicensed medicines.”
The MHRA says anyone suspecting their medicine may be counterfeit should contact the MHRA’s designated 24-hour anti-counterfeiting hotline, counterfeit@mhra.gsi.gov.uk.
Tags: Pharmaceuticals | UK News | World Health
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