The fight against the trafficking of counterfeit medicines worldwide is yielding results. Interpol has made nearly 270 arrests of individuals involved in counterfeit medicine trafficking and dismantled 66 criminal groups during a police operation conducted in 90 countries.
The operation “Pangea XVIII,” organised in March across all continents, also led to the seizure of more than 6 million illicit remedies, valued at $15.5 million, according to a statement from the International Criminal Police Organization, headquartered in Lyon, in eastern-central France.
The organisation notes a “sharp rise” in seizures of antiparasitic medicines, notably dewormers that are only authorised for veterinary medicine. These products, often marketed as “dietary supplements,” are sold as part of “alternative cancer treatments,” Interpol notes, before emphasising that “these claims are not supported by any scientific evidence.”
Among the unauthorised or counterfeit medicines seized are remedies for erectile dysfunction, sedatives, analgesics, antibiotics or products to aid in quitting smoking.
Among the notable cases of the operation, a clandestine drug production plant was dismantled in Bulgaria, where millions of tablets, ampoules and injectable products were seized. In Burkina Faso, authorities confiscated 384,000 antibiotic capsules. In Ivory Coast, a tonne of counterfeit ibuprofen was discovered in a vehicle.
Interpol reminded that the use of such products had “already been observed” during the Covid-19 pandemic.
