London, Sept 30 (PTI) British authorities have seized a large haul of Kamagra, the Indian version of Viagra, originating from Pakistan, as part of a major operation to crackdown on multi-million pounds trade in fake drugs and unlicensed medicines, official sources here said. Kamagra, a sex stimulant, is illegal in Britain, but it is sold online and delivered through post, and by direct means illegally. The latest haul of Kamagra is said to be worth over 100,000 pounds, according to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulation Agency (MHRA). In its latest crackdown, MHRA officials this week seized more than a million doses of medicines worth approximately 2 million pounds from the UK's postal service and ports. During this week's raid that revealed the haul of Kamagra, among other drugs, MHRA officials said the consignment had been sent from Pakistan. Nearly 100,000 doses were discovered in raids, with a value of at least 200,000 pounds. According to MHRA, Valium and Viagra are the most commonly sold, but it warns that the counterfeiters have started offering drugs for cancer, heart conditions, epilepsy, asthma and depression. Kamagra, they said, could be easily distinguishable from the legitimate Viagra, which is blue in colour. Senior enforcement investigator Danny Lee-Frost told BBC: We have seen some truly horrendous places where products have been stored. Residential premises, stuff under the kitchen sink covered in dog urine, rats gnawing at them. They are just commodities. He added: No-one involved in those websites is medically qualified. None of the products are licensed or tested. They are selling them to you as a drug dealer would, they are not interested in your health, they are interested in taking your money. And the money is big. The MHRA advised people not to buy anything off the internet without a prescription, since doing so could lead to disastrous consequences. Last December, a young paramedic, Lorna Lambden, was found dead after taking an anti-depressant drug used to treat insomnia. Her father, Roy, said: It's no different from selling hard drugs. It's become so easy to buy prescription drugs rather than booking an appointment with a doctor. I don't want another family to go through what we've been through. Those drugs are too readily available, it's too easy for people to take them. If people don't buy them those companies will go out of business. Earlier this month, a 42-year-old counterfeit medicine dealer, Victor Cheke, was given a 12-month prison sentence at Northampton Crown Court for importing and being in possession of fake erectile dysfunction drugs including Viagra and Cialis, as well as Kamagra. From August to October 2010 several suspect packages containing medicinal products originating from China and India were intercepted by the UK Border Agency en route to Cheke. Analysis of the drugs revealed that the medicines were counterfeit despite each packet and tablet bearing the logo and branding identical to the genuine product.
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