Criminal Gang Suspected in Fake Medicine Tablets Seizure
Two people were arrested in Northeastern England by Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Several thousand fake medicine tablets have been seized estimated at £115,000.
Counterfeit erectile dysfunction medication and unapproved anti-obesity medicines rimonabant and sibutramine were found, reports the MHRA.
Spanish police and Europol, arrested six people and collected approximately 300,000 doses of fake medication in a joint operation, known as ‘Operation Tribulus.’
Spanish authorities arrested four people suspected of being members of a criminal gang importing fake medicines from Asia, mainly China and Singapore, and distributing them via the internet to customers throughout Europe.
Nimo Ahmed, the MHRA’s Acting Head of Enforcement, said: “Unlicensed, untested and fake medicines can put people’s health, and even life, at risk. It is very common for counterfeit medicines to be laced with dangerous ingredients or contain the wrong amounts of active ingredients or even none at all. This means they can be ineffective or dangerous.”
Learn more about the common poisons investigators have found in counterfeit medications.