Dominic Littlewood from Fake Britain (BBC) follows Operation Pangea aimed at stopping the multi-billion pound international trade in fake medicines run by sophisticated drug gangs, and the UK dealers that make thousands from peddling them.
Operation Pangea is an international week of action tackling the online sale of counterfeit and illicit medicines and highlighting the dangers of buying medicines online. Coordinated by INTERPOL, the annual operation brings together customs, health regulators, national police and the private sector from countries around the world.
Activities target the three principal components used by illegal websites to conduct their trade – the Internet Service Provider (ISP), payment systems and the delivery service.
The operation has gained significant momentum since its launch in 2008. The first phase of the operation brought together 10 countries, with the number rising to more than 80 in 2011.