Illegal pharmacy busted

Source: Illegal pharmacy busted | The Herald April 4, 2019

Victor Maphosa Herald Correspondent
The Zimbabwe Republic Police has recovered pharmaceutical drugs, including ARVs, worth over US$500 000 that were stolen from State warehouses and stashed at an illegal pharmacy in Waterfalls, Harare.

The police arrested three suspects and were still withholding their names last night. The drugs were hidden in a warehouse at the back of the premises.

National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the arrests and said investigations were still in progress.

He said the pharmacy and drugs were neither registered nor cleared by the Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe.

“The Zimbabwe Republic Police would like to confirm the arrests of three suspects in connection with an illegal pharmacy which was discovered in Waterfalls, Harare, after our detectives received information that there was a pharmacy which was selling pharmaceutical drugs at very low prices which raised suspicion,” said Asst Comm Nyathi.

“A raid was conducted and the police discovered that the pharmacy was operating illegally, selling about 1 720 Part 4 drugs (dangerous drugs) and unregistered drugs. We cannot rule out that these dangerous drugs were given to people who engaged in all sorts of illegal activities, including the youths.”

Asst Comm Nyathi said the consignment was addressed to the Government of Zimbabwe from India, but was in the hands of the three suspects without proper documentation.

“These suspects had no proper documentation to support their possession of these drugs, which indicates that they obtained them in a suspicious way and we are investigating that,” he said.

“They were also in possession of family planning tablets that came from donors and were not supposed to be sold to members of the public and they were earmarked for the Family Planning Council of Zimbabwe, who, under normal circumstances, were supposed to distribute them.”

In 2015, people with various ailments were reported to have been exposed to deadly medication after police recovered over 420 000 tablets countrywide, including fake ARVs, during a regional operation, code-named, “Giaboia 11”.

The operation, which covered Zimbabwe, Angola, Malawi, Swaziland, South Africa and Tanzania, led to the recovery of lotions, cigarettes, soaps, bottles of Histalix and BronCleer cough syrups, among other drugs.

The operation code-named, “Giaboia 11”, was conducted by the Zimbabwe Republic Police and the International Police (Interpol).