Public Safety MMC raids pharmacy allegedly selling unregistered and scheduled medicines
A multi-agency operation resulted in the arrest of an ‘assistant pharmacist,’ the confiscation of illicit pharmaceutical products, and the closure of a pharmacy situated a few kilometres from Alexandra.
MMC for Public Safety Mgcini Tshwaku, led a multi-agency enforcement operation on Wednesday along Louis Botha Avenue in Orange Grove, just a few kilometres from Alexandra, where a pharmacy suspected to be selling illegal, unregistered, and highly regulated scheduled medicines was raided.
Speaking on site, Tshwaku said the joint raid, conducted together with the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) and officers from the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD), followed a direct tip-off received from SAHPRA inspectors.
He said they believe that the pharmacy supplies and distributes illicit pharmaceutical products in the city and beyond South Africa’s borders. “Some of the medicines are very dangerous, [and] are heavily regulated. So, what is happening here is that they are distributing it, cleaning it up, and they put it in the cross-border buses, taxis, and bakkies which are going to countries like Mozambique and Zimbabwe,” Tshwaku said.
Among the items targeted were Schedule 2 cough mixtures containing codeine—substances that may only be dispensed on a doctor’s prescription and under strict pharmacy supervision.
He said that the owner of the pharmacy, a Zimbabwean national, refused to present herself despite being contacted telephonically. Tshwaku explained that the individual found operating the premises claimed to be a pharmacist assistant but couldn’t produce any qualifications or any supporting documentation.
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“We are going to open a case. We are requesting forensic bags, so, all these are going to be confiscated,” Tshwaku confirmed, adding that the operation constitutes multiple contraventions of the SAHPRA regulatory framework.
Tshwaku singled out codeine-based cough mixtures as a particular concern, noting their growing misuse among young people. He said they suspect that individuals who buy the BronCleer or Benylin with codeine syrup on a daily basis mix it with Sprite to create what is known as ‘lean,’ a highly addictive concoction popular among youth.
@caxtonjoburgnorth WATCH: MMC for Public Safety Mgcini Tshwaku closes down a pharmacy suspected to be selling illegal, unregistered and scheduled medicines along the Louis Botha Avenue in Orange Grove, an area situated just a few kilometres from Alexandra. #Alex #Orangegrove #Rosebank ♬ original sound – Caxton Joburg North
He issued a warning to rogue pharmacy operators across the city, revealing that similar establishments have been identified in Hillbrow, Yeoville, the Johannesburg CBD, and parts of Midrand.
“People must know out there that we are going to after them, take the whole stock and arrest them. If you are not a pharmacist and you are selling Schedule 2 medicine, we are going to arrest you, close the shop, and confiscate everything.”
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