Tue 08 June 2021:
A record number of fake online pharmacies have been shut down under Operation Pangea XIV targeting the sale of counterfeit and illicit medicines and medical products.
The operation coordinated by INTERPOL involved police, customs and health regulatory authorities from 92 countries. It resulted in 113,020 web links including websites and online marketplaces being closed down or removed, the highest number since the first Operation Pangea in 2008.
In Venezuela a man was arrested after he developed an e-commerce platform on WhatsApp to sell illicit medicines.
In the UK, in addition to the seizure of some three million fake medicines and devices worth more than USD 13 million, authorities also removed more than 3,100 advertising links for the illegal sale and supply of unlicensed medicines, and shut down 43 websites.
A record number of fake drugstores were taken offline in a massive Interpol-led operation involving authorities from 92 countries, the international crime-fighting body said Tuesday.
“As the pandemic forced more people to move their lives online, criminals were quick to target these new ‘customers’,” said INTERPOL Secretary General Jürgen Stock.
“Whilst some individuals were knowingly buying illicit medicines, many thousands of victims were unwittingly putting their health and potentially their lives at risk.
“The online sale of illicit medicines continues to pose a threat to public safety, which is why operations such as Pangea remain vital in combating this global health scourge,” added Secretary General Stock.
The operation targeted websites and online market places that sought to cash in on the surge in demand for personal protection and hygiene products, deleting over 113,000 links, the highest number since 2008.
Targeting counterfeit and illicit medicines and medical products, a record number of fake online pharmacies were shut down under INTERPOL’s Operation Pangea XIV pic.twitter.com/eZKTN70z4F
— INTERPOL (@INTERPOL_HQ) June 8, 2021
More than half of all medical devices seized during a week of action in May were fake and unauthorized COVID-19 testing kits. Interpol said 277 people were arrested worldwide and potentially dangerous drugs worth more than $23 million were confiscated.
Fake medicines can be dangerous for a number of reasons. Perhaps they have been falsified or deliberately mislabelled. Illicit medicines often contain the wrong amount of active ingredient (too little, too much, or none at all). Some fake medicines have been found to contain mercury, arsenic, rat poison or cement.
In other cases, the medicines may be genuine but have been stolen and then badly stored or may have expired. This means they could be ineffective or contaminated.
FILE PHOTO
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