Interpol said on Thursday an operation across 90 countries and territories has resulted in the seizure of 6.42 million doses of unapproved and counterfeit pharmaceuticals worth $15.5 million.
Operation Pangea XVIII led to 269 arrests and the dismantling of 66 criminal groups involved in the illicit pharmaceutical trade, the organization said.
Among the most seized products were erectile dysfunction medications, sedatives, analgesics, antibiotics and anti-smoking products.
Digital enforcement operations disrupted about 5,700 criminal-linked websites, social media pages, channels and automated bots used to market and sell illicit medicines, according to the organization.
High demand for GLP-1 medicines, originally developed to treat diabetes but now widely used for weight loss, has "opened up new opportunities for criminal networks", Interpol said.
Illicit versions are often manufactured in Asia and sold online for as low as $10. In some cases, they have been found to contain sibutramine, a substance banned in many countries due to links to heart attacks and strokes.
Unlike other regions, seizures in Africa mainly comprised essential medicines such as painkillers, antibiotics and antimalarials, Interpol said.
These products are often sold through informal markets where healthcare access is limited, but many were substandard, falsified, expired or unsafe.
Published on May 7, 2026