Over 230 people have been arrested in a major sting operation that spanned 111 countries and involved INTERPOL. Named Operation Pangea V11, the operation was able to investigate online pharmacies and other operations which were allegedly selling drugs in the illegal on line pharmaceutical business.
“The sole focus of the organized crime networks behind the sale of these fake and illicit medicines is to make money, and they do not care about the potentially life-threatening consequences of their actions,” said INTERPOL Secretary General Ronald K. Noble.
“Operation Pangea has again demonstrated that the joint efforts of law enforcement agencies around the world and with the support of the private sector can have a significant impact in helping to protect the public and turn back crime,” said the INTERPOL chief.
The operation also targeted social media where many of the drugs were advertised. The operation is a result of over 1200 investigations which included the shut-down of social media pages, websites and the removal of over 15 000 adverts.
Colombia’s illicit labs were also investigated as well as connections to organized crime there. Investigations also included dismantling fake domain address names and payment and delivery schemes that were illegal and online.
“Operation Pangea VII was coordinated by INTERPOL, with the World Customs Organization (WCO), the Permanent Forum of International Pharmaceutical Crime (PFIPC), the Heads of Medicines Agencies Working Group of Enforcement Officers (WGEO), the Pharmaceutical Security Institute (PSI) and Europol, with support from the Center for Safe Internet Pharmacies (CSIP) and private sector companies including G2 Web Services, LegitScript, MasterCard, Microsoft, PayPal and Visa”, reports out of France stated.
Purple notice
According to reports, the drugs were potentially life-threatening and the investigation also involved stings and raids on half million inspections at customs across the globe in seven days. Over 20 000 packages have been seized.
INTERPOL’s National Central Bureau in Colombia issued its first ever purple notice which is a communication used to inform on the objects, concealment methodology, modus operandi, devices as well as any other methodology as it relates to pharmaceutical crime.
The report indicated that among the 9.4 million fake and illicit medicines seized during the operation were “slimming pills, cancer medication, erectile dysfunction pills, cough and cold medication, anti-malarial, cholesterol medication and nutritional products”.
“Bogota also requested INTERPOL Blue Notices requesting further intelligence regarding suspects in a criminal organization related to pharmaceutical crime in order to trace and locate them.
“The results from Operation Pangea VII are not just about the seizures and arrests, but also about demonstrating the growing commitment from member countries in tackling these crimes, and their increasing expertise,” said Aline Plançon, head of INTERPOL’s Medical Products Counterfeiting and Pharmaceutical Crime (MPCPC) unit.
“The interceptions and seizures physically stop these potentially life-threatening medicines from reaching unsuspecting consumers, but equally as important is shutting down the online platforms used by organized crime to target the public,” added Plançon.
Have any of these illicit drugs made their way to the Caribbean?
