Policy/Enforcement News
Missouri Man Pleads Guilty to Selling Fake Drugs
A man from Missouri recently pleaded guilty to federal charges of distributing counterfeit drugs. Mark Hughes was accused of ordering fake erectile dysfunction medication from overseas and then sold them in an illegal, unlicensed pharmacy and on the street, according to the
[...]Eastern Europe Toughening Stance on Fake Drugs
Eastern Europe plays a major role in the counterfeit drug trade, said experts at a recent regional meeting. The two-day meeting was held in the capital of Romania, Bucharest, featured more than 120 anti-counterfeit specialists from Romania, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Ukraine, reports AFP. Hungarian customs officer Karolyi Szep said that Eastern…
[...]Israel Authorities Catch Smuggler with Counterfeit Drugs at Airport
A man was recently caught trying to smuggle more than 5,000 doses of counterfeit drugs into Israel. Authorities seized Chen Ben-Zion at Ben Gurion International Airport, after seeing the counterfeit drugs in an x-ray scanner, according to Haaretz.com. Ben-Zion arrived in Israel on a flight from Georgia. Authorities pulled him aside and told him that he…
[...]Philippines Doctor Facing Counterfeit Drug Charges
A doctor in the Philippines is facing charges of expired, smuggled and counterfeit drugs. Edwin Pinili of the Pinili Clinic in Calumpang village is facing charges from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD), according to the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Dominic Cerro, special investigator of the NBI’s Sarangani District…
[...]Sri Lanka Holds Conference on Fake Drugs
The Sri Lanka Chamber of Pharmaceutical Industry (SLCPI) joined with the U.S. Embassy, the American Chamber of Commerce and other entities to host the first of four workshops on "Protecting Sri Lankan Families from counterfeit drugs," according to the Daily Mirror. This initial workshop was held on October 17 in Colombo. The news source reports that…
[...]Pangea III Impacts Irish Online Drug Sellers
Ireland a significant player in INTERPOL's recent fake drug bust, Pangea III. According to the Irish Times, a co-ordinated Interpol operation targeting the sale of counterfeit and illegal drugs from online pharmacies netted the phony medicines. The Irish Medicines Board (IMB), the Revenue Commissioners’ Customs Service and Irish police were also involved in the operation, reports…
[...]Major Pharmaceutical Cargo Theft Committed in California
Two criminals disguised as police officers allegedly committed a major pharmaceutical theft when stole a delivery truck. Los Angeles police Sergeant Mitzi Grasso, said the truck was delivering drugs to a Rite Aid in the San Fernando Valley in the early morning on October 7 when two men wielding semiautomatic handguns approached the driver, according…
[...]New Zealand Seizes Fake Drugs in Global Campaign
Customs officers in New Zealand recently seized more than 400 packages that were suspected of containing counterfeit drugs as part of an international, week-long effort to crack down on the sale of fake medicines from online pharmacies. According to Stuff.co.nz, 34 of the parcels seized by the country's Medsafe organization were confiscated because they either were…
[...]Online Pharmacy Patrons Threatened with Extortion
A North Carolina sheriff is warning residents of a phone scam being perpetrated by people claiming to be Drug Enforcement Administration agents, targeting people who have used online pharmacies. Carteret County Sheriff Asa Buck said the caller tells the victim that such purchases are illegal, and now they must pay a fine. In most cases,…
[...]Millions worth of fake drugs seized in South Korea
The government of South Korea recently revealed that it had seized $5.58 billion worth of counterfeit goods since 2006, including a substantial quantity of fake medicines. According to a report submitted by the Korea Customs Service to the Strategy and Finance Committee of the National Assembly, $157.8 million of fake drugs had been seized by…
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