Police agencies worldwide seized $65 million (€57.2 million) worth of counterfeit or unapproved medicines in a major international bust that took aim at the deluge of cheap fakes sold online.
Between December and May, authorities in 90 countries – including 16 in the European Union – confiscated 50.4 million doses of drugs that were either fake, misbranded, unapproved, or diverted, according to the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol), which coordinated the operation.
In Europe, many of the seizures were for counterfeit or unapproved weight loss drugs and peptide supplements, which Interpol said reflects the surging popularity of “cosmetic and performance-enhancing” pharmaceuticals.
These drugs are so widely available online and on social media that police are having a hard time keeping up, Alfonso Mejuto Rodríguez, Interpol’s pro tempore assistant director of criminal networks, told Euronews Health.
“It’s not even necessary to go to the dark web [because] there are a lot of advertisements online,” Rodríguez said.
The drugs are marketed as “good for your health, good for your image,” he added. “That is exactly the risk for human health, because when you buy them, you are not really sure what they contain”.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and European Medicines Agency (EMA) have both warned in recent years that the black market is flourishing for counterfeit semaglutide, which is the active ingredient in blockbuster anti-obesity and diabetes medicines such as Ozempic and Wegovy.
Interpol said a single semaglutide pen can sell for hundreds of euros on the black market.
Meanwhile, peptide seizures were relatively rare until recently. The agency said the uptick in Europe, North America, and Oceania reflects a rise in demand for supplements such as BPC-157, ipamorelin, and melanotan, which are unproven products sold illegally as wellness, anti-ageing, or cosmetic aids.
Melanotan, for example, is a synthetic hormone designed to boost melanin production, giving people the appearance of tanned skin. Sometimes called the “Barbie drug,” melanotan has taken off on platforms such as TikTok – but it is not regulated in Europe and health agencies have warned that it may cause serious health problems.
“With a lot of substances, the marketing is amplified by influencers, for instance in terms of health and culture,” Rodríguez said.
Most commonly seized drugs
Worldwide, the most commonly seized illicit pharmaceuticals were psychostimulants, anti-anxiety drugs, and Parkinson’s disease medicines, followed by erectile dysfunction drugs, Interpol said.
Other commonly seized counterfeit or otherwise illegal drugs include anabolic steroids, anti-smoking medicines, dermatological agents, health supplements, herbal products, and psychotropic medications for mental health conditions.
Police also confiscated the opioid painkiller oxycodone in Bulgaria, France, Ireland, and Sweden.
The sale of counterfeit medicines can have deadly consequences. In March, a 30-year-old man died after taking fake painkillers in the Netherlands, and last month, health authorities in Denmark warned that they were also circulating there.
“It seems that in the West, the demand for painkillers is rising… and criminals are taking advantage of it,” Rodríguez said.
13,000 websites, accounts shut down
As part of the Interpol operation, nearly 800 suspects were arrested and 123 criminal groups were dismantled. Police also took down about 13,000 websites, social media accounts, and bots that advertised and sold illegal or counterfeit medicines online.
Authorities in Ireland shuttered about 1,400 online listings for fake or illegal medicines, more than any other country except for Malaysia and Russia. Together with Singapore and Iran, the five countries accounted for 96 per cent of all listings that were taken down.
Ireland also saw large seizures of illegal medicines, as did the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, according to Interpol.
In Portugal, for example, police discovered anabolic steroids in eight prisons, which Interpol said was evidence of a criminal smuggling network.
The agency noted that Europe-based criminals have easy access to the raw materials and infrastructure needed to run counterfeit drug production networks, meaning they can quickly adapt to changing trends and demand from consumers.
“It’s a challenge for law enforcement agencies to follow this activity,” Rodríguez said.
