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Nqobile Tshili Chronicle Correspondent—
POLICE have arrested 395 drug traffickers and recovered more than 424,000 pills that include fake ARVs in a three day countrywide sting operation targeting illegitimate pharmaceutical operators. National police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba yesterday said the operation code-named Giaboia II was carried out jointly with Interpol and covered Southern Africa.
Snr Asst Comm Charamba said it started on Wednesday last week and ended on Friday, adding 90 percent of the illegal drugs were recovered in Harare and Mashonaland West.
The police spokesperson said a bogus doctor who was running an unregistered clinic in Karoi was among those arrested.
“395 accused persons were arrested including the bogus doctor. The bogus doctor was operating an illegal clinic in Karoi,” said Snr Asst Comm Charamba. “The clinic was immediately closed and the various surgery implements as well as numerous unregistered drugs were recovered.”
She said police recovered 424,257 various types of tablets, including fake anti – retroviral drugs (ARVs).
Snr Asst Comm Charamba said the drugs that were recovered include 2,399 tubes of various lotions, 2,000 tubes of various creams, 307 bottles of Histalix cough syrup, 11,000 bottles of bronclear, 6 pharmaceutical soaps and 300,000 cigarettes.
The addictive cough mixtures have high alcohol content and teenagers often abuse them to quickly get intoxicated.
She said police inspected 37 pharmacies and closed two unlicensed ones.
Snr Asst Comm Charamba warned members of the public against buying unregistered pharmaceutical products.
She said they have serious side effects of unknown proportions.
The police spokesperson said anyone found dealing in unregistered drugs would be arrested.
Snr Asst Comm Charamba said: “The sting operation called Giaboia II was conducted in Southern African countries which included Angola, Malawi, Swaziland, South Africa and Tanzania by the International Police (Interpol).”
The crackdown is the second of its kind on the continent following another raid in East Africa in 2013.
She said the operation targeted pharmaceutical operators who manufactured, traded and distributed fake, stolen or illicit medical products.
“The crimes also include theft, fraud, smuggling, illicit diversion and trafficking of medicines. The operation was conducted after the success of the first operation, code named Giaboia I in East Africa in 2013,” she said.
A medical doctor yesterday said unregistered drugs were dangerous because their side effects were not known.
“You can’t, for instance, assess their suitability for pregnant people. They have the potential to cause serious harm to unborn babies and their mothers,” said the doctor.
For people living with HIV and Aids, the doctor said, the fake drugs pose the greatest risk as they would not be treating the ailment and patients’ health deteriorates until they die.
Added the doctor: “Some prescription medicine is sold by these unregistered dealers and it may cause dangerous addictions or even death, if taken without the supervision of a qualified doctor.”
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter