British Fake Pharmacy Actually Selling Counterfeit Drugs From Pakistan: Four Sentenced
4 Wales residents were sentenced in a counterfeit drugs case spanning Europe. The four accepted delivery of counterfeit & illicit drugs from Pakistan, which they then repackaged and shipped to online customers in the European Union.
On March 27, 2013, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in the United Kingdom announced the sentences of 4 defendants in a counterfeit drug operation spanning from Wales to Pakistan.
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4 Wales residents were sentenced in a counterfeit drugs case spanning Europe. The four accepted delivery of counterfeit & illicit drugs from Pakistan, which they then repackaged and shipped to online customers in the European Union.
On March 27, 2013, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in the United Kingdom announced the sentences of 4 defendants in a counterfeit drug operation spanning from Wales to Pakistan. Andrew Luxton was sentenced to one year in jail on 5 counts of selling counterfeit drugs & controlled substances. Samantha Steed received 12 months in prison suspended for 18 month, plus 18 months of community service. Carl Willis was sentenced to 6 month in prison suspended for 18 month plus a further requirement to attend drug rehabilitation. Anthony Luxton, who is Andrew Luxton’s son, was given probation under supervision.
The four were UK based distributors for a fake online pharmacy that received its goods from Pakistan and sent payment back to Pakistan, according to the MHRA. Customers would place orders with the fake online pharmacy, then Andrew Luxton and his cohorts would accept shipment in bulk of the counterfeit drugs, then break them up into smaller packages and mail them out to the pharmacy website’s customers.
The MHRA reports further that the four were originally targeted as a result of an undercover investigation of the fake online pharmacy. An MHRA agent posing as a customer ordered drugs from the site, which were then traced to the home of the elder Luxton. A search of the defendants homes uncovered stockpiles of counterfeit pharmaceuticals and controlled substances. According to the MHRA, the British base of operations held bulk quantities of counterfeit medicines parceling out individual orders to website patrons in order to avoid customs risks.
On the occasion of the sentencing, Nimo Ahmed, MHRA Acting Head of Enforcement said “Buying medicines from unauthorised sources significantly increases the risks of getting substandard or fake medicines. People who buy medicines without the benefit of a consultation with an appropriate healthcare professional run the risk being supplied with medicines that are not safe or suitable for them to use. You should take prescription only medicines after an appropriate consultation with your GP.”
To ensure that the medicines you purchase online are genuine, always take a moment to check the veracity of your chosen online pharmacy by using Legitscript’s online pharmacy verification tools.