As part of a crackdown on criminal profits, the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and its law enforcement partners removed over 17 million doses of illegally traded medicines from circulation in 2024. The seized drugs, including painkillers, sleeping tablets, and erectile dysfunction treatments, had an estimated street value exceeding £40 million.
Major Seizure of Illicit Medicines
Andy Morling, head of the MHRA’s Criminal Enforcement Unit (CEU), emphasized that criminals in the illegal medicines trade are driven solely by financial gain. “By seizing their profits, we’re removing that single motivation,” Morling stated. “Whether held in Bitcoin or banknotes, we can take these criminal profits out of the hands of offenders and use some of the money to strengthen our enforcement efforts. It’s a win for public safety and a serious blow for organized crime.”
Following the Money
The MHRA’s CEU focuses on disrupting medicine-related crime by cutting off the financial incentives that fuel it. The CEU has the authority to freeze bank accounts, seize digital currencies, confiscate luxury goods, and reclaim criminal proceeds following conviction. In 2024 alone, the unit’s financial investigators denied criminals access to £7.5 million in illicit assets. By targeting these financial resources, the CEU is effectively dismantling illegal operations and preventing criminals from profiting further from the trade of unlicensed medicines.
Protecting Public Health from Dangerous Medicines
The CEU collaborates with the Home Office’s Border Force to intercept illegal medicines entering the UK at ports nationwide. Many of these unregulated medicines contain inaccurate dosages or unauthorized ingredients, posing serious health risks to consumers. In addition to physical seizures, the CEU also disrupts the online trade of illegal medicines. Over 1,500 websites and social media posts selling unlicensed medicinal products were taken down in 2024 as part of these efforts. Morling warned the public against buying medicines from unverified sources: “There is no guarantee that these products are safe or effective. We work tirelessly to protect patients by preventing medicine crime, disrupting it, and bringing offenders to justice.”
Government Commitment to Combating Illegal Medicine Trade
Minister of State for Health, Karin Smyth, reinforced the government’s commitment to tackling illicit medicine sales. “Shameful criminals selling unregulated and illegal medicines must feel the full force of the law. We are cracking down on these rogue retailers, taking illicit medicines off the streets, and keeping the public safe,” she said.
The MHRA will reinvest the funds recovered from illegal traders to bolster future enforcement actions, ensuring continued efforts to protect public health and dismantle criminal networks operating within the illegal medicine trade.
