Nearly 600,000 counterfeit medicines seized in Tashkent (video)

Authorities in the Tashkent region have dismantled a clandestine workshop producing nearly 600,000 counterfeit medicines. The operation was carried out by the State Security Service in cooperation with customs authorities.

According to the official report, a search of a house in the Tashkent district, rented by a 1984-born resident of Tashkent, revealed large-scale production and illegal distribution of counterfeit medicines. The raid was conducted in the presence of witnesses.

Inside the workshop, investigators found 594,127 units of 49 types of counterfeit drugs, including “Fucis,” “Prosulpin,” “Ursosan,” and “Arbidol,” all lacking proper documentation and safety certification. The drugs were handmade using 50 pieces of equipment, including machines and molds. Authorities also seized 168 kg of substandard raw materials, printed labels, instruction leaflets, packaging boxes, empty containers, and capsules.

A subsequent search of the suspect’s apartment in Tashkent’s Uchtepa district uncovered an additional 28,640 units of two drug types, 75 ampoules, 46 containers of liquid substances, labels of 26 drugs, 18,280 unmarked suppositories and packaging materials, 40 capsules, and three iron molds. All items were confiscated as material evidence.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect had acquired raw materials through online orders from unknown suppliers. The total value of the seized counterfeit medicines and production equipment is estimated at nearly 10 billion sums.

The counterfeit products had been distributed to several pharmacies in Tashkent and the Bukhara region. Thanks to swift action by law enforcement, their further sale was halted.

A criminal case has been initiated under Article 186, Part 3, Paragraph "a" of the Criminal Code of Uzbekistan, covering the production and sale of counterfeit or substandard medicines, as well as violations in the retail sale of potent prescription drugs. Investigations are ongoing.

In a related case, a 1992-born resident of Tashkent and his partner, a bank employee born in 1996, were caught during a sting operation while attempting to sell 574,560 units of infusion systems smuggled from China. The shipment, worth \$55,700 and packed in 798 boxes, was deemed unfit for medical use in Uzbekistan. Its total value is estimated at 1 billion sums.

These individuals also face criminal charges under the same article of the Criminal Code, and investigative proceedings are underway.

It should be recalled that similar actions were recently taken in the Fergana region, where counterfeit and uncertified medicines were also removed from sale.