An unregistered pharmacy that operated for six years without a licence was closed down yesterday, October 9, thanks to a thorough investigation led by the Hawks’ Nelspruit-based Serious Organised Crime Investigation, the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA), the White River Flying Squad and Acornhoek Local Criminal Record Centre.

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The 50-year-old pharmacy owner, along with two women and two men aged between 35 and 48, was arrested for contravening the Medical and Related Substances Act and the regulations governing the Ownership and Licensing of Pharmacies Act.

The team received information from SAHPRA about the pharmacy’s unlawful activities and a search warrant was executed at the business. The four employees were present during the search but were unable to produce the necessary qualifications to work in a pharmacy, particularly for dispensing medicines.

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The owner was not at the establishment when the warrant was executed, but was later summoned to the scene. On his arrival, he could neither produce the operating licence nor valid qualifications. It was established that the pharmacy was not even registered with the South African Pharmacy Council.

Scheduled medicines, ranging from schedules 1 to 6, were seized. Currently, the Hawks cannot confirm the value of the seized medicines as further investigation and expert analysis is still to be conducted.

The provincial head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, Major General Nico Gerber, commended the partnership displayed by all involved stakeholders.

“It has been six years, since 2019, that the owner has been operating. One can only imagine how many people were directly or indirectly affected. We are pleased that the establishment has now been closed and that further harm to human lives will be prevented,” Gerber added.