Raids see ‘powerful and dangerous’ items that could kill people taken off the streets

Hundreds of thousands of suspected illicit medicines have been seized during raids across Greater Manchester. Among the purported medicines seized are the pain killer tramadol, the sedative diazepam which is often used to treat anxiety and tablets for erectile dysfunction.

Boxes of the medicines which can only be legitimately obtained with a prescription were seized during raids at four addresses conducted by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s (MHRA) Criminal Enforcement Unit (CEU) backed up by officers from Greater Manchester Police.

The raids took place at two residential properties, in Cheetham Hill and Oldham, and two business premises, in Bury and Miles Platting, during the early hours of Wednesday.

READ MORE: Met Office says when and where snow will fall in UK as freezing temperatures hit

READ MORE: Huge emergency response and boat units called to canal as two men rescued and taken to hospital

A man in his 20s was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to supply controlled drugs, breaches of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 and money laundering. Among the items seized are painkillers and antidepressants as well as unlicensed versions of erectile dysfunction drugs, according to the MHRA.

Andy Morling, MHRA deputy director of criminal enforcement, said: “Medicines like these are powerful and dangerous in the wrong hands, potentially leading to serious adverse health consequences. The criminals trading in these products are not only breaking the law, they also have no regard for your safety.

“It is illegal to advertise, sell or supply medicines such as these without the appropriate authorisation. If you see these products, or any other powerful medicines, being sold on social media or elsewhere online, think. It’s unlikely to be legitimate, and could be extremely
dangerous. You can help the MHRA take action to stop these criminals by reporting concerns to us through our Yellow Card scheme.

“Our Criminal Enforcement Unit will continue working to protect your health by disrupting this harmful and illegal trade. We’re grateful to our partners in Greater Manchester Police, for helping in our efforts to do this today.”

Detective Chief Inspector Jen Kelly, of GMP’s Op Vulcan team, said: “The MHRA has been a dedicated partner of Operation Vulcan in helping to tackle the supply of illicit prescription medication in the Cheetham Hill area of Manchester. This was a key problem that Operation Vulcan has worked hard to tackle and over the last year we have seized over 1.5 million tablets.

“Today was therefore an opportunity to support our partners in turn and tackle the illicit supply elsewhere. We see first-hand the harmful and sadly even fatal consequences that illicit prescription medication can have. We work tirelessly to act on any information we’re given about falsified medicines, to keep our communities safe.”