NEWS IN BRIEF
Fake drug siege: Interpol finds 300kg of counterfeit meds in West Africa
The Interpol-coordinated operation uncovered the drug products at the Abidjan airport, in an effort to strengthen border controls in West Africa.
The eight-day operation also led to the discovery of a house being used as a warehouse and packaging site for fake medicines, where six people were arrested.
According to Interpol’s report, officers at the Noe land border, between Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana, also took control of 1.6kg of counterfeit medicines.
“The operation shows the range of activities in which organised crime is involved,” said Interpol’s Harold O’Connell in a statement.
In August, Interpol reported it had seized 420 tonnes of fake medicines in West African countries Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Mali, Niger, Nigeria and Togo.
