Partnership working prevents harm – Justice Minister

Date published: 7 May 2026

During Operation Pangea, which ran over a two-week period in March, 177,500 illegal and unlicensed tablets and other unlicensed medicines destined for distribution throughout Northern Ireland were seized by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), Border Force and officials from the Department of Health’s Medicines Regulatory Group (MRG). 

The items seized are worth approximately £350,000 on the illegal market. 12 search warrants were also issued.

Justice Minister Naomi Long said: 

“The medicines and products seized during Operation Pangea have been removed from circulation. Crucially, this means that operational partners have prevented harm and potentially saved lives by stopping them from reaching homes, families and communities across Northern Ireland.

“I want to pay particular tribute to the work of the Organised Crime Task Force Drugs Subgroup, including the PSNI, Border Force, and the Department of Health’s Medicines Regulatory Group. Their close collaboration demonstrates the impact that effective partnership working can have in tackling threats to both public health and public safety.  

“When agencies work together, share intelligence and combine expertise, the results are far more powerful than any single organisation could achieve alone.  Together we can build a safer, fairer future for all.”

Assistant Chief Constable Davy Beck, who heads the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s Crime Department, acknowledged the efforts and collaboration of partners within the Organised Crime Task Force.

He said:

 “Without any doubt, the supply and use of illicit prescription drugs, and the inevitable devastation to individuals, families and our communities, is hugely worrying.  Operation Pangea puts this most serious issue firmly in the spotlight.

“I want to send a clear message to those intent on supplying illegal drugs, of any type: we will work tirelessly to disrupt your potentially lethal, money-making activities, and we’ll do everything in our power to ensure you face justice.  

“We will continue to work with partner agencies and other forces to identify suppliers and supply lines.  And we’ll continue to investigate the activities of individuals and organised crime groups who make their living at the expense of others.”

Operation Pangea is a global initiative, led by INTERPOL, and is designed to tackle the illegal online sale of counterfeit and unauthorised medicines and health products. The Chief Medical Officer, Professor Sir Michael McBride, said: 

“The Department of Health’s participation in Operation Pangea highlights our ongoing commitment to reduce the harm that can be caused to the Northern Ireland public by drugs like these. Medicines purchased from unregulated sites are not prescribed by a healthcare practitioner, may not have been subject to the normal controls on manufacture and may not be of a suitable quality or be of the nature described.

“I urge the public not to be tempted by what look like cut prices or fooled by professional looking websites offering medicines without prescription.

“The Department’s Medicines Regulatory Group works proactively all year round with its key partners, including Police and Border Force to highlight and curtail this activity when possible. This type of collaborative work has led to the interception and seizure of many illegal medicines which would otherwise have ended up in general circulation. This has likely saved lives, as people are often unaware of the dangers or potentially fatal consequences of taking these unprescribed drugs.”