Zanzibar Operation Nets Counterfeit Drugs

The Zanzibar Food, Drugs and Cosmetics Board and Interpol’s Tanzania branch recently impounded a quantity of counterfeit drugs following an operation named Mamba 111.

It was the first operation since the board was created and resulted in hundreds of cartons of counterfeit drugs being impounded, according to The Tanzanian Citizen.

The counterfeit drugs were confiscated following a sweep of 50 outlets, including 24 pharmacies and 26 drug-dispensing shops in Unguja and Pemba, both islands in Zanzibar.

The registrar of the Zanzibar board, Dr. Burhani Othman Simai, told the news source that among the seized counterfeit drugs were anti-malarial medications, along with fake cosmetics, hormones, plastic surgery medication, anti-ageing pills, contraceptive and erectile dysfunction medication.

Simai stressed the deadly consequences of taking counterfeit drugs.

“One of the side effects of the usage of such fake drugs is increased deaths arising from decreased immunity,” he told the news source.

The operation also found that some medications were stolen from public health facilities.

“This proves that some unscrupulous officials have been stealing from the government stores,” Simai said.