Three individuals have been convicted for their roles in the large-scale supply of illegal medicines online, following a major investigation led by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s (MHRA’s) Criminal Enforcement Unit (CEU).
The investigation, known as Operation Lamborghini, led to the disruption of a multimillion pound organised criminal group operating a series of websites to supply controlled drugs and unauthorised medicines.
Everton Reynolds, Paul Billingham, and Junior Ranger, were convicted of conspiracy to supply controlled drugs (Class B and C) and conspiracies to supply unauthorised medicines and prescription only medicines, after a six-week trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court.
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One individual was found not guilty and a fifth person, Anita Rama, pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing.
The investigation identified almost two million doses of medicinal controlled drugs and other medicines linked to the criminal group.
These included benzodiazepines, Zolpidem, Zopiclone and the Class B drug Codeine, alongside unauthorised versions of medicines including Sildenafil. Prescription-only medicines Zapain and Modafinil were also supplied unlawfully, MHRA added.
Head of the CEU at the MHRA, Andy Morling, said this conviction sends a ‘clear message’ that the trafficking of medicines is a serious criminal offence. ‘The individuals involved showed a blatant disregard for public safety, placing people at real risk for their own financial gain,’ he added.
He praised the work of his CEU colleagues whose ‘professionalism and persistence brought this organised criminal group to justice’. He also pledged to continue pursuing those who threaten the public with dangerous and unlicensed medicines.
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Gayle Ramsay of the Crown Prosecution Service added: ‘These four defendants showed absolute disregard for the health consequences of selling unauthorised medicines and prescription only drugs to people without the proper professional medical consultation and authorisation to do so.
‘The defendants would have no understanding as to the safety of these medicines and the impact of using them for potential buyers. The sale of any form of illegal drugs causes devasting consequences for people, the public and local communities.’
The case was prosecuted by the CPS Serious Economic Organised and International Directorate (SEOCID). Sentencing will take place at a later date.
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Last month, the MHRA dismantled a large-scale manufacturing facility producing unlicensed weight loss jabs in Northampton, in what authorities believe is the largest-ever global seizure of its kind.
Following this raid, the regulator said it had seen criminals investing more in ‘designing packaging and branding to make trafficked unlicensed weight loss products appear “genuine” to customers’.
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