Operation "PANGEA" - against illegal trade in medicines

Switzerland participated again this year in the international action week "PANGEA X" coordinated by Interpol. A total of 123 countries were involved. The aim of the action, which was carried out for the 10th time, was to combat the illegal trade in medicines via the Internet. This year, all suspicious postal packages were checked during a week as part of the operation. Authorities worldwide checked more than 700,000 suspicious packages at airports and postal centers between September 12 and 19. They seized 470,000 packages and ordered the closure of more than 3,500 illegal websites. House searches and arrests also took place.

From worthless to hazardous to health

In Switzerland, authorities inspected nearly 500 packages of medicines. Employees of the Swiss Customs, Swissmedic and Antidoping Switzerland seized 56 shipments containing medicines that are particularly hazardous to health. The recipients of the released consignments received an information letter warning them that tablets and capsules of unclear origin may contain too much, too little or no active ingredients at all, and in the worst case also toxic substances with a major health risk.
About half of the controlled packages were sent from a European Union country. However, they often contained medicines that had been manufactured in India. Criminal European intermediaries disguise the origin and further increase the risk, e.g. through improper storage, repackaging and shipping.

Focus on fentanyl
One focus of this year's Operation PANGEA was to combat the illicit trafficking of fentanyl and its derivatives. Fentanyl is a highly effective pain reliever whose Abuse led to numerous fatalities in some countries. No shipments containing fentanyl have been detected in Switzerland to date, and awareness of the lethal danger of this substance appears to be present. The competent authorities remain vigilant and continue consistent market surveillance to prevent serious harm caused by fentanyl.

Antibiotics as a threat to public health
The most frequently illegally imported drugs are still erectile stimulants. However, a relatively large number of imports of antibiotics were observed during the week of action. This is worrying because consumption of these drugs without medical supervision can lead to the development of Antibiotic resistance contributes. This impairs the vital treatment of infectious diseases, as improperly used antibiotics can lose their effectiveness.

Swissmedic
Federal Customs Administration
Interpol