woman who supplied counterfeit prescription drugs to the UK was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for money laundering offences. The woman from Uxbridge was arrested as part of a joint investigation between the City of London Police, and the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Police officers, along with Enforcement Officers from the MHRA, found counterfeit prescription drugs worth over £250,000, including more than 50,000 units of one particular drug when they searched an address in November 2006. In addition, twelve passports were found hidden inside a suitcase and a total of 30 bank and visa cards were also recovered. The defendant was also charged with offences under the Identity Card Act. Investigators discovered that the drugs originated in Pakistan and were then mailed to the woman. She was paid in cash and this money was then credited to a bank account in a pseudonym used in one of the false passports. In July 2007 the defendant was subsequently charged with trademark offences, possession with intent to supply class C drugs and money laundering. Detective Constable Wilson McQuitty,City of London Police Economic Crime Department, said: "This woman was exploiting people who genuinely needed these drugs for her own personal gain. Together with colleagues from the MHRA we were able to take these drugs out of circulation and seize numerous fake documents and bank cards which were being used to launder the money she was making." Mick Deats, Head of Enforcement MHRA, said: "Today's result sends out a very clear warning that dealing in counterfeit medicines doesn't pay. The MHRA will continue to clamp down on those who flout the law and put the public's health at risk. People should ensure that they only obtain their medicines from legitimate outlets, e.g. their doctor or pharmacist. If people do not then there can be no guarantee to their safety, quality or indeed that they work. At best these medicines could be a waste of money, at worst they could be severely detrimental to your health." The woman was sentenced to 12 months for the false identity offences and 18 months for the two cases of possession with intent to supply Class C drugs.
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