The last week of January saw officers from the Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) conduct a series of raids in Bournemouth, resulting in the seizure of ‘substantial’ amounts of unlicensed medicines, including erectile dysfunction pills, and the arrest of a man and woman.
The arrests followed an in-depth investigation by MHRA enforcement officers into a network suspected to be involved in the illegal importation and supply of medicines.
Officers executed searches at four locations across Bournemouth. The suspects were arrested on the suspicion of money laundering and on suspicion of being involved in the illegal sale and supply of medicines. The pair have been taken into custody to be questioned by MHRA investigators.
Tariq Sarwar, MHRA’s head of operations, said: “Our message is clear: illegally supplying prescription only medicines is a serious criminal offence. MHRA officers have worked to arrest those involved and we will continue to track down and prosecute people endangering public safety. Those selling medicines illegally are exploiting innocent people to make money and have no regard for the public’s health or welfare.”
MHRA is currently running the #FakeMeds campaign to educate the public about the dangers of buying potentially dangerous or useless unlicensed medicines sold by illegal online suppliers.
Visit http://www.gov.uk/fakemeds for more information.
