Irish drugs gangs trafficking fake pharmaceuticals

Organised crime gangs behind the illicit drugs trade are becoming increasingly involved in the growing counterfeit and fake pharmaceuticals market, a senior Garda officer has said.

While the worst affected regions for the global trade are Africa, South America and Asia, Assistant Commissioner John O'Mahoney said Irish people who had fallen ill and were struggling to pay for medicines were increasingly turning to the black market in desperation.

There has been a tenfold increase in seizures of such substances since Interpol began coordinating the fight against the sector a decade ago.

So far this year, 500 suspects have been arrested globally and drugs with a retail value of $65 million (€52 million) seized under Interpol coordinated operations.

In 2012 in the Republic there were just over 500,000 pills or capsules seized, increasing to 900,000 last year, when total seizures were valued at an estimated €2 million.

And while seizures for this year have not maintained that momentum, one recent interception of counterfeit pharmaceutical medicine in Dublin was valued at €100,000.

There had also been one seizure of machines in the city this year that gardaí believe were being used in the manufacture of fake medicinal products.

Speaking at the opening of an Interpol conference in Dublin at which policing of the area was being reviewed by 200 law enforcement delegates from 50 countries, Assistant Commissioner O’Mahoney said Irish people who bought black market medicines within the jurisdiction or from international websites for delivery via the postal service were often vulnerable.

“It’s very difficult to advise people who are desperate,” he said.

“But it’s very important to advise them the drugs they put into their bodies are bought from reputable and recognised agencies.”

Director of compliance at the Health Products Regulatory Authority, John Lynch, said consumers needed to be aware the gangs involved in the production and trafficking of fake medicines had no regard for the health of those buying the substances.

“They often don’t contain the active ingredient they are claiming, or maybe have a completely different active ingredient,” he said.

He said some medicines withdrawn from the market because they were linked to strokes and heart attack were being used by gangs in the manufacture of illicit pharmaceuticals.

“People are taking a real risk,” he said of those turning to the black market.

“We advise; don’t self medicate and don’t self diagnose. We are talking about potent prescription medicine here; they are prescription for a reason.”

While erectile dysfunction substances and anti-malaria medicines were most often sold on the global black market, Assistant Commissioner O’Mahoney said those behind the trade would sell any medicine that gave hope to people who were ill.

“We are seeing more and more of a focus by some organised crime groups, particularly those involved in the drugs trade, in the (trafficking) of illicit pharmaceutical drugs,” he said of Irish criminals.

“We’ve had, certainly in the last 12 months, increasing evidence of this and (increasing) detections.

“A lot of it is sedatives. And diazepam is another area where we are finding significant seizures.

“And slimming pills is another. We can see that the product is being supplied by organised crime gangs.

“In some areas where people have been very much involved in the illegal drugs trade, they are now using the same tactics in relation to the sale and supply of illicit pharmaceutical drugs.”

This included the means of sourcing, covertly smuggling cross-border and distributing the drugs on arrival in the Republic.