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Sub-Saharan Africa·Health

Interpol seizes $15.5 million in counterfeit medicines in Africa-focused operation

Friday, 8 May 2026, 06:29 · 1 min read

Interpol's annual Operation Pangea, conducted across 90 countries, has resulted in 269 arrests and the closure of nearly 6,000 fraudulent websites, with $15.5 million worth of counterfeit pharmaceutical products seized worldwide. While fake erectile dysfunction pills, sedatives, and painkillers dominate elsewhere, Africa is particularly afflicted by counterfeit antibiotics, antimalarials, and analgesics sold through informal markets — a reflection of the continent's high healthcare costs even for basic medicines. Notable seizures included thousands of fraudulent antimalarial and antibiotic vials in Cameroon, a tonne of counterfeit ibuprofen intercepted in Côte d'Ivoire, and nearly 400,000 antibiotic capsules uncovered in Burkina Faso, which ranked among the top ten countries globally for the largest confiscations this year.

Sources
RFIInterpol: l’Afrique en première ligne face au trafic de faux médicaments ↗︎
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