Police bust online Viagra gang

By
Follow google news

Stiff penalties handed out.

Police bust online Viagra gang
The leader of a gang selling fake Viagra over the internet has been given a four and a half year jail sentence.

Ashish Halai, 33, ordered fake Viagra tablets from suppliers in China and Mexico for 25p each and sold them for as much as £20 online to people in the US and Europe who were too embarrassed to go to their doctor.

Three other members of the gang were also found guilty and will be sentenced later.

The case came to light after an investigation by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which estimated that the gang netted at least £2m from the scam.

Mick Deats, head of enforcement at the MHRA, said: "The MHRA treats every report of a counterfeit medicine as a serious incident. This successful prosecution should serve as a clear signal to those contemplating the supply of counterfeit medicines.

"The public are strongly advised to avoid buying medicines online, where the risk of being provided with counterfeit medicines is greatly increased."

Halai is a chemist who sold his practice in Bayswater, London but continued to use the name to sell herbal supplements.

The court heard that Halai began selling fake anti-impotence drugs in 2002 passing them off as Viagra and Cialis. He packaged the drugs so skilfully that experts said it would take a trained eye to spot the difference.

Police seized over £1.5m worth of the fake drugs when they swooped on the gang. The drugs were imported using business courier services and were disguised as pet supplements.
Got a news tip for our journalists? Share it with us anonymously here.
Copyright ©v3.co.uk
Tags:

Most Read Articles

Microsoft releases fix for flawed January security update

Microsoft releases fix for flawed January security update

Services Australia to tap law enforcement data for staff security

Services Australia to tap law enforcement data for staff security

Single Windows image drove RedVDS disposable cybercrime server business

Single Windows image drove RedVDS disposable cybercrime server business

Microsoft patches single-click Copilot data stealing attack

Microsoft patches single-click Copilot data stealing attack

Log In

  |  Forgot your password?