Police raids across 90 countries seize fake and illegal medicines worth €14m

The operation, known as “Pangea XVIII”, was carried out in March across every continent and resulted in the seizure of more than six million illicit medicines worth over €14 million, the Lyon-based international police organisation announced on Thursday.

Among the counterfeit or unlicensed medicines confiscated were drugs for erectile dysfunction, sedatives, painkillers, antibiotics and smoking-cessation products.

The scale of the haul showed the continued expansion of illegal pharmaceutical markets, particularly online, Interpol said.

“Thanks to online markets and informal supply chains, criminals can exploit loopholes in controls and target people seeking quick or affordable treatments,” Interpol Secretary General Valdecy Urquiza said in a statement. He warned that such products could have “serious, even fatal” consequences for consumers.

Interpol seizes thousands of fake Covid-19 jabs in South Africa and China

Veterinary medicines

Interpol expressed particular concern over what it described as a sharp rise in the seizure of anti-parasitic medicines, especially deworming products authorised only for veterinary use.

The organisation said these products are increasingly being marketed online as “dietary supplements” or promoted as part of so-called alternative cancer therapies, despite there being no scientific evidence to support such claims.

Interpol noted that misuse of anti-parasitic drugs had already become visible during the Covid-19 pandemic, when certain unproven treatments gained traction on social media and alternative health forums.

Authorities also said demand for “performance-enhancing” and “lifestyle” pharmaceuticals – including steroids and peptides – continued to rise, driven in part by bodybuilding and fitness communities.

Balkan cartels use West Africa to push cocaine into Europe, report warns

Factory raids

The operation led to major seizures in several countries. In Bulgaria, police dismantled an illicit drug manufacturing facility where millions of tablets, ampoules and injectable products were recovered.

In Burkina Faso, authorities confiscated 384,000 antibiotic capsules, while in Côte d'Ivoire investigators discovered a tonne of counterfeit ibuprofen hidden inside a vehicle.

Interpol said the success of the operation reflected growing international co-operation against pharmaceutical crime, but warned that counterfeit medicines remain a fast-moving and highly profitable global trade.

(with newswires)