Quebec enforcement op targets counterfeit medicines

A police sweep in Quebec aimed at disrupting the trade in counterfeit prescription drugs has resulted in at least 20 arrests.

The operation involved more than 236 law enforcement officers and stemmed from an incident in February 2018 in which almost 200,000 counterfeit Xanax pills where intercepted by the Canada Border Services Agency whilst being shipped to addresses in the US, Europe and Australia.

The operation against the drugs ring – which local press reports say is linked to the Hells Angels motorbike gang – resulted in the seizure of cocaine, cannabis, methamphetamines, cash and weapons, and reveals once again the close links between the illicit and falsified medicines trade and organised crime.