THE HAGUE, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- In the largest action of its kind, an Interpol operation targeted the illicit online sale of medicines and medical devices with 400 arrests worldwide and the seizure of more than 51 million U.S. dollars worth of potentially dangerous medicines, Europol announced on Monday.
Europol supported Interpol's Operation Pangea with two analysts performing checks on entities against Europol's databases. In addition, a specialist and an analyst with a mobile office and a device for forensic support were sent by Europol to Budapest, Hungary to conduct checks on the spot.
Overall, involving 197 police, customs and health regulatory authorities from a record 123 countries, Operation Pangea X led to a record number of 25 million illicit and counterfeit medicines seized worldwide.
The action resulted in the launch of 1,058 investigations, 3,584 websites taken offline and the suspension of more than 3,000 online adverts for illicit pharmaceuticals.
Among the fake and illicit medicines seized during the international week of action (Sept. 12-19) were dietary supplements, pain reduction pills, epilepsy medication, erectile dysfunction pills, anti-psychotic medication and nutritional products.
Medical devices such as dental devices and implants, condoms, syringes, medical testing strips and surgical equipment were also confiscated. Illicit devices worth an estimated 500,000 U.S. dollars were recovered.
Starting with eight countries in 2008, Operation Pangea has grown exponentially during the past ten years, with police, customs and drug regulatory authorities from 123 countries taking part in 2017.
The main trend identified during the decade of Pangea operations is the continuous growth of unauthorized and unregulated online pharmacies, which capitalize on increasing consumer demand worldwide to advertise and sell illicit or counterfeit medicines, authorities said.
