GRA took part in global operation targeting illicit medicines

Officers being addressed during the PANGEA operation

The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) partnered with the Food and Drug Analyst (FDA) Depart-ment to join 111 other countries in a global week of action aimed at sensitizing the public about the online sale of counterfeit and illegal medicines.

Operation PANGEA is the largest international internet-based operation focusing on illicit websites selling imitation medicines, a press release from the GRA said. Operation Pangea VII engaged police, customs and national regulatory authorities to target websites supplying fake and unapproved medicines, and to increase awareness of the serious health risks connected to purchasing medicines online. Public awareness campaigns were conducted in many countries. Six were produced by Guyana.

The anti-counterfeiting initiative saw 543, 531 packages inspected by customs and regulatory authorities, of which 19,618 were seized. It also resulted in the