MHRA Busts Major Illicit Weight Loss Drug Facility

Officers from the Criminal Enforcement Unit (CEU) of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) have dismantled a major illicit manufacturing facility, making and distributing unlicensed weight-loss jabs, during a raid on a warehouse in Northampton.

This is the first illicit production facility for weight loss medicine discovered in the UK and is believed to be the largest single seizure of trafficked weight loss medicines ever recorded by a law enforcement agency worldwide. 

During the search, MHRA officers, supported by Northamptonshire Police, seized tens of thousands of empty weight loss pens ready to be filled, raw chemical ingredients, and more than 2,000 unlicensed retatrutide and tirzepatide pens awaiting dispatch to customers. The street value of the finished weight loss products alone is estimated to be more than a quarter of a million pounds.

Along with large amounts of sophisticated packaging and manufacturing equipment, officers recovered approximately £20,000 in cash suspected to be linked to medicines trafficking.

The search operation, lasting two days, is the latest in the MHRA's ongoing work to tackle the illegal trade in weight loss medicines.

The site, on an industrial estate on the outskirts of Northampton, is believed to have been used for the large-scale manufacture, packaging, and distribution of unlicensed - and potentially deadly - weight loss products to customers. 

Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting, said:

"This is a victory in the fight against the shameless criminals who are putting lives at risk by peddling dangerous and illegal weight loss jabs to make a quick buck.

"These unregulated products, made with no regard for safety or quality, posed a major risk to unwitting customers.

"My message is clear: don't buy weight loss medications from unregulated sources. Talk to your GP, seek NHS advice, and don't line the pockets of criminals who don't care about your health. Safe, appropriate, licensed obesity drugs can greatly benefit those in need if taken under medical supervision, and I urge people to only purchase and use them with the approval and oversight of medics and pharmacists."

Andy Morling, Head of the MHRA's Criminal Enforcement Unit, said: 

"This seizure shows the lengths these criminals will go to for profit. People should be extremely cautious when buying medicines online. Prescription medicines should only be obtained from a registered pharmacy against a prescription issued by a healthcare professional. Taking prescription medicines sourced in any other way carries serious risks to your health - there are no guarantees about what they contain, and some may even be contaminated with toxic substances.

"Taking out the first illicit weight loss medicine manufacturing facility found in the UK is a landmark result for the MHRA and a major blow to the illegal trade. These products are untested, unauthorised, and potentially deadly. By taking this organised criminal network out of operation and stopping tens of thousands of potentially fatal products from entering circulation, we've prevented a serious risk to public health.

"This is an illicit global market that endangers patients, puts big money in the pockets of organised criminals, and undermines legitimate healthcare. This operation demonstrates, once again, that my officers will stop at nothing to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the organised criminal networks who put profit before safety." 

The MHRA #FakeMeds website offers helpful guidance and advice for staying safe when buying medicines online.

Anyone who suspects they are having a side effect from a medicine are encouraged to talk to their doctor, pharmacist or nurse and report it directly to the MHRA Yellow Card scheme .

Notes 

1. The Criminal Enforcement Unit (CEU) is the MHRA's in-house law enforcement function, leading the Agency's response to medicines crime. Its strategic mission is to protect the public, maintain confidence in regulation and uphold the rule of law by preventing offending where it can, disrupting offending where it cannot, and bringing offenders to justice where it should. It uses the full range of its powers and capabilities, including intelligence analysis, online disruption, covert techniques, and asset recovery to tackle criminal threats to the UK public, working closely with the police and law enforcement agencies in the UK and overseas. 

2. The MHRA's Accredited Financial Investigators are authorised by the National Crime Agency under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (POCA). They support investigations by tracing, freezing, and confiscating assets linked to crime, including money laundering and the illegal supply of medicines. Their work includes seizing cash, valuable items, and freezing bank accounts or cryptocurrency suspected of criminal origins. The Home Office's Asset Recovery Incentivisation Scheme (ARIS) allows a proportion of the proceeds of crime recovered under POCA, to be redistributed to agencies involved in the asset recovery process. 

3. Retatrutide is GLP-1 medicine in clinical development, which has not been approved for UK use. Outside of authorised clinical trials, any products being sold in the UK that claim to contain retatrutide are likely to be illegal and are potentially dangerous to people's health.  

4. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is responsible for regulating all medicines and medical devices in the UK by ensuring they work and are acceptably safe. All our work is underpinned by robust and fact-based judgements to ensure that the benefits justify any risks. 

5. The MHRA is an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care.