Online fake drugs trade worth up to €70bn

The illegal online counterfeit drugs trade may be worth as much as €70bn a year worldwide — with Irish sales unwittingly helping to fund crime gangs as far afield as Russia and China.

However, a lack of collaboration between countries and internet search engine giants means it is difficult to prosecute many of those behind the black market.

Irish Patients’ Association chairman Stephen McMahon detailed the issue after a new report warned of a surge in people resorting to the illegal sector here.