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A woman has been sentenced to two-and-a-half years in jail after supplying thousands of counterfeit tablets for erectile dysfunction.
Shazia Amjad, from Uxbridge, ran a sophisticated operation boxing and packaging the fake Viagra (sildenafil citrate) in her garden shed.
Police and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) found counterfeit drugs worth more than �250,000, including painkillers, slimming pills, and anabolic steroids, when they raided her home last November.
The MHRA said customers from the US and UK would order the drugs online, and an accomplice would post them to Amjad from Pakistan.
The 39-year-old admitted money laundering, possession of a class C drug with intent to supply, and ID fraud offences at Croydon Crown Court in September.
Detective Constable Wilson McQuitty, who led the the City of London Police inquiry, said: “Shazia Amjad was exploiting people who genuinely needed these drugs for her own personal gain.”
Mick Deats, head of enforcement at the MHRA, added: “People should ensure that they only obtain their medicines from legitimate outlets.
“If people do not, then there can be no guarantee to their safety, quality or indeed that they work.
“At best these medicines could be a waste of money, at worst they could be severely detrimental to your health.”
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