Inside Pangea Operation: Interpol seized more than 53 million dollars in illegal medicines

Illegal medicines for cancer, low-quality test kits for HIV and diabetes, falsified dental equipment and illegal surgical equipment. All of this is just one "piece of the puzzle" of the potentially hazardous to health drugs and goods seized during the operation Pangea IX by INTERPOL. Oriented to the illegal online sale of medicines and medical devices, and with the participation of 193 policemen, as well as customs and regulatory health authorities of 103 countries, operation Pangea has resulted in 393 arrests worldwide and the seizure of more than 53 million dollars in potentially dangerous medicines. Private partners from different sectors of internet and payment industries have also supported the operation, which ended with the suspension of 4,932 websites selling illegal pharmaceuticals products. The operation was also directed to the main areas exploited by the organized crime in the illegal trade of medicines online: electronic payment systems, delivery services, etc. Among the 12.2 million counterfeit medicines seized during the operation loss weight pills, antimalarial and cholesterol lowering medications, erectile dysfunction pills, hair loss treatments and food supplements were included.