Malawi Police Seize Counterfeit Drugs

Police in Malawi recently seized a number of fake products, including counterfeit drugs, in Mangochi Township.

It is believed that the value of the confiscated goods totaled thousands of dollars, reports the Nation.

According to Mangochi police spokesman Rodrick Maida, the counterfeit drugs and other phony products were taken from five Rwandese nationals and nine Malawians.

Maida also said that there was a wide variety of goods that were confiscated.

“The seized items include 56 dozens of Vaseline, 60 units of glycerine, 151 units of cigarettes, 12 bundles of assorted sachets of cane spirits, 10 packets of Chombe tea, various drugs, 30 units of Movate complexion cream,” he told the news source.

According to the news provider, it is believed that these products were not certified by the Malawi Board of Standards, making them potentially counterfeit.

The effects of counterfeit drugs are often felt in African nations. In 1995, approximately 2,500 children in Nigeria died because they took a phony meningitis vaccine. However, such medications can also affect the U.S., as a number of people passed away after taking counterfeit heparin, a blood thinner, according to the FDA.