Searches Were Conducted in Odesa and Mykolaiv in Connection with a Counterfeit Drug

Law enforcement officials conducted large-scale raids in Odesa, Mykolaiv, and other regions of Ukraine as part of an investigation into a scheme to manufacture the counterfeit weight-loss drug “Biopatid.” As a result of the special operation, prosecutors and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) charged 27 participants in the criminal operation.

This was reported by the Office of the Prosecutor General.

<span><span><span><span><span><span>Those detained include the organizer of the scheme and the owner of the underground laboratory; the owner of a well-known Kyiv clinic that promoted the product; a customs broker; laboratory workers, packagers, sales and advertising managers, as well as other participants in the criminal scheme. </span></span></span></span></span></span>

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<span><span><span><span><span><span>According to the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Prosecutor’s Office, the organized group established large-scale illegal production and distribution of the counterfeit drug throughout Ukraine. The drug contained the active ingredient tirzepatide, which was imported from China. The customs broker declared the raw materials as a dietary supplement.</span></span></span></span></span></span>

<span><span><span><span><span><span>The drug was manufactured and sold without the required permits, state registration, or proper certification. Shipments to customers were made without maintaining the proper temperature conditions.</span></span></span></span></span></span>

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<span><span><span><span><span><span>According to the investigation, products totaling more than 5 million U.S. dollars have been manufactured since the beginning of this year.</span></span></span></span></span></span>

<span><span><span><span><span><span>During the searches, law enforcement officers seized the counterfeit drug and the raw materials used to manufacture it, equipment from the clandestine laboratory, packaging materials, and finished printed materials, documentation and rough notes, cell phones and computer equipment, as well as cash in various currencies totaling nearly 15 million hryvnias, high-value vehicles, and other property.</span></span></span></span></span></span>

Earlier in Odesa, law enforcement officers uncovered the production of sportswear bearing counterfeit logos of well-known brands. The counterfeit items were sold online and at the“7 Kilometer” industrial goods market.

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