Border control op nabs fake pharmaceuticals in Africa

An operation aimed at snaring child traffickers in Africa has netted an unexpected haul – a cache of falsified medicines.

The Interpol-led operation in West Africa – which was aimed at strengthening border controls – uncovered more than 300kg of counterfeit drugs at Abidjan airport in Côte d'Ivoire, and in turn led to the to the discovery of a house being used as a warehouse and packaging site for other fake medicines, and the arrest of six people.

Officers at the Noe land border between Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana also seized 1,624 kg of counterfeit medicines, according to Interpol, and the operation also uncovered five stolen vehicles and counterfeit passports, as well as 40 people being smuggled or trafficked for illicit labour, mostly minors heading for illegal gold mines in Guinea.

 “The operation shows the range of activities in which organized crime is involved. In addition to helping protect communities, these interventions are part of a longer-term solution where information sharing and cross-border cooperation between various law enforcement agencies is essential,” said Harold O’Connell, director of Interpol’s capacity building and training unit.

The eight-day (October 5-12) Operation Adwenpa III involved more than 100 officers at 23 sites across key land border and airports in eight countries – Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo.