DRUGS ONLINE | INVESTIGATION

Dangerous fake medicines bought online with Google search

Bogus pharmacies often pose as family-run businesses to lure customers. In reality many are registered anonymously in Russia
Aimi and Chris Garidis on their wedding day; Chris died from a cocktail of drugs while on a work trip
Aimi and Chris Garidis on their wedding day; Chris died from a cocktail of drugs while on a work trip
COURTESY OF AIMI GARIDIS

Rogue online pharmacies are putting thousands of people’s lives at risk in Britain by doling out painkillers, sleeping pills and anti-anxiety tablets without a prescription. Many of the drugs are fake, The Sunday Times can reveal.

The bogus suppliers use sophisticated techniques to attract customers, including engineering positive online ratings and tricking Google into listing them on the first page of search results.

One expert warned that illicit providers often make pills stronger by mixing them with other chemicals — rather like “pouring vodka into a bottle of wine”.

In reality, the pharmacies — many of which are registered to anonymous Russian owners and hosted by web servers in China — are not registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council, the independent regulator, and do not