Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
£100K illegal drugs seized
Web medicines haul after global sting
ILLEGAL imported medicines worth £100,000 have been seized in Northern Ireland as part of a worldwide sting operation.
Operation Pangea X, an Interpol co-ordinated swoop, resulted in a haul of more than 50,000 unauthorised drugs – including anabolic steroids, human growth hormones, diazepam, pregabalin and tramadol.
Head of Medicines Regulatory Group Professor Mike Mawhinney said: “The risk to the public due to illegal or counterfeit medicines is very real.”
The operation, which took place between September 12 and 19, involved over 120 countries and aimed to disrupt illicit online sales. It also raised awareness of the potentially tragic consequences associated with buying drugs online.
Other medicinal products including erectile dysfunction tablets were also detained.
Coordinated activities between the Department of Health’s MRG and the PSNI and Border Force resulted in the seizure of multiple packages destined for addresses throughout the country. Follow-up investigations are ongoing. Senior medicines enforcement officer with DOH Peter Moore, who co-ordinated the operation here, added: “We urge the public not to be tempted by cut prices or sites offering drugs without prescription. “Using them could expose you to a dangerous substandard counterfeit medicine.”