London Residents Suspected of Producing and Selling Fake Drugs Online
£1 million pounds of suspected fake medicine was seized by British agents of The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and three men were arrested in London.
Three residencies were raided, as well as a storage unit, in the north and east areas of London where more than 300,000 tablets of fake medications were discovered, announced the MHRA.
The three men, suspected of running a number of illegal online pharmacies selling fake prescription medicines, were arrested but now have been released on bail.
Said MHRA Head of Operations Danny Lee-Frost, “These illegal online pharmacies have been supplying a massive amount of medicines, mostly to treat erectile dysfunction, hair loss and weight loss, to many people around the world.”
“The dangers of purchasing medicines online are that you just don’t know what you are taking,” he said. “The dosages could be either too high or too low, or worse, the tablet could contain dangerous ingredients such as brick dust from a cement mixer in which it was produced.
“Those involved in these types of dealings do not care about your health. They are only in it for one reason, and that is to make money.”
The suspects face sentences of up to two years imprisonment and unlimited fines, under the Medicines Act 1968. MHRA can use the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 to recoup illicit earnings if the individual is found guilty. In cases involving counterfeit medicines, the MHRA will use the Fraud Act or Trade Marks Act which both carry a maximum of 10 years imprisonment.