Interpol: Combating the sale of illegal medicines online

Coordinated by Interpol, Operation Pangea IX was carried out in 193 countries in cooperation with customs and health regulators.

The international week of action tackling the sale of illicit medicines was carried out from May 30 to June 7 at airports, resulting in 393 arrests worldwide and the seizure of over USD 53 million worth of potentially dangerous medicines.

In Italy, inspections were carried out on the cargo areas of the main airports, focusing on incoming parcels.

The Italian police seized 80,000  fake or illicit capsules, tablets and pills with a total street value of about € 300,000.  

Buying potentially dangerous medicines online is becoming increasingly popular and the relevant investigations are particularly complex because the servers of the companies involved are based abroad and the products are shipped by couriers.

Products bought online may seriously harm your health: there isn’t any certainty about what they may contain and, even if based on the correct pharmaceutical protocols, they should be taken under medical supervision and not as a result of a free sale without any medical prescription.

Among the fake and illicit medicines seized during the operation 60% were erectile dysfunction pills, while the rest were painkillers, antivirals, slimming pills and anti-inflammatory drugs.

The International Police Cooperation Service (SCIP) of the Criminal Police Directorate coordinated Italy’s participation in Pangea IX.

“Operation Pangea – said SCIP’s director Gennaro Capoluongo – has showed once again the importance of international relations and police cooperation not only in traditional fields but also in tackling the rising threat of transnational crime.”

Italian version