Illegal drugs and medicine worth €300k seized in one week

More than 100,000 illegal prescription medicines worth almost €300,000 were seized in Ireland in one week. During the operation, 85 medicine packages were taken by custom officials at postal sorting offices.

The Irish Medicines Board said the crackdown between May 13 and 20 was part of the largest Interpol operation targeting online counterfeit and illegal medicines.

The joint operation in Ireland was carried out by the IMB, Revenue’s customs service, and gardaí, who between them seized 90,666 tablets, 1,800 capsules, and 8,155 liquids. The drugs included sedatives, painkillers, weight loss products, as well as medicines for erectile dysfunction and anabolic steroids.

Most of the counterfeit or illegal products were from China, Pakistan, and India.

The IMB, together with 200 enforcement agencies across 110 countries, targeted criminal networks involved in the sale of counterfeit and illegal drugs.

Eight countries, including Ireland, took part in the first operation in 2008.

The latest initiative, co-ordinated by Interpol, resulted in 239 arrests worldwide and the closure of 10,600 illegal websites.

In Ireland, 10 search warrants led to two arrests by the authorities. Four Irish-controlled websites were closed down during the week.

IMB director of compliance John Lynch said some people were placing their health in danger by using the websites.

“Some of these medicines have been shown to contain too little or too much of the active ingredient, while others contain the wrong active ingredient altogether,” he said. Under Irish law, the sale of prescription-only medicines by mail order is prohibited.

The IMB highlighted the case of a woman who took a dietary supplement, OxyElite Pro, which has been linked to dozens of cases of acute liver failure and hepatitis, to boost her energy and help her lose weight.

The 35-year-old woman, a middle-management executive and a mother, bought the product online from what she thought was a legitimate website and took it for a number months last year.

After becoming unwell, she went to her GP, who treated her for viral hepatitis. She did not improve and developed a severe form of jaundice.

After being hospitalised, she was diagnosed with liver failure and doctors believed she would need a liver transplant to survive. However, her liver has recovered sufficiently, which is considered rare.

The woman said she was incredibly lucky to have survived.

“Don’t buy these or any other products online — they are not worth the risks,” she said.