Money launderers are sent to prison

Three UK men have been sentenced to a total of 89 weeks imprisonment for money laundering over a five-year period, following an investigation by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

The men, from Stoke-on-Trent, were prosecuted as part of a wider investigation which saw them laundering the profits from a criminal online pharmacy website based in Cyprus. A UK criminal ran the business, setting up a number of illegal online pharmacy businesses selling counterfeit and prescription-only-medicines.

MHRA officials made test purchases of counterfeit Viagra to establish a link to the criminal enterprise which had a turnover in excess of £1m over three years.

The three men were caught withdrawing money from the websites’ UK bank account and wiring this to an account in Cyprus using a variety of routes.

MHRA Acting Head of Enforcement, Nimo Ahmed, said: ‘This case highlights the criminality of the people who continue to put profit before patient’s health. These illegal pharmacy websites selling medicines bought from illegitimate sources pose a real threat to people’s health because they simply don’t know what they are getting.

‘We strongly advise people to protect themselves by purchasing their medicines only from sources such as legitimate pharmacies and to take prescription-only-medicines following an appropriate consultation with their GP.’