Ten convicted of fake Xanax production
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Ten people have been convicted of drugs and money laundering offences after an investigation started by a pharmaceutical company uncovered a multimillion-pound drug manufacturing network.
In January 2018, as part of its work to protect public health from the threat posed by counterfeit medicines, pharmaceutical company Pfizer Ltd initiated an investigation into darknet market sellers operating as ‘Milkman11new’ and ‘UKBK’ who were selling bulk quantities of tablets advertised as ‘Xanax’ – a medicine previously manufactured by Pfizer.
Pfizer made multiple test purchases of the product from the sellers and ran tests on the tablets in its counterfeit laboratories, which confirmed the tablets were counterfeit and dangerously dosed.
Pfizer identified individuals responsible for shipping the fake tablets and began to pass information to West Midlands Police in 2018 whilst continuing to investigate the group.
At the beginning of 2019 dark web investigation units were set up in Regional Organised Crime Units across the UK, and took on the investigation to trace others involved in the manufacture and sale of counterfeit Xanax, the active ingredient of which is Alprazolam.
Investigators explored the dark web to track sales and deliveries to and from addresses in the Black Country. They also traced the proceeds of the sales through the transfer and conversion of crypto currency, namely Bitcoin.
The investigators found four pill press machines costing around £7,500 each had been purchased between August 2018 and February 2019 from a UK based company. Each press is capable of producing around 10,000 tablets per hour.
During the same period large quantities of Alprazolam and an analogue, Adinazolam, powder was shipped from China, along with bulking agents and other ingredients to make the tablets in the presses, purchased in the UK.
Officers executed a warrant at an address in Wednesbury in August 2019 where thousands of counterfeit tablets were in the process of being heat sealed in foil bags.
In Tipton another warrant was executed where, in a garden shed, officers found an industrial powder mixer, an industrial style drying unit and all surfaces were covered with a white and pink powder, the signs of production of red street variant counterfeit Xanax style pills.
The following month a warrant in Wolverhampton revealed a tablet press machine, metal pill casts and stamps along with powder and a handwritten recipe list.
Investigating officer, Detective Inspector Dave Hollies said: “The scale of production of these counterfeit tablets ran in the millions. We found evidence the group had purchased over two tonnes of bulking agent which made up over 90% of the tablets.
“The weight of active ingredients purchased was up 220kg. And the profit in Bitcoin also ran into millions.”
Records showed shipments of the fake tablets were made across the globe including mainland Europe and America.
Patrick Holt, Director, Global Security, Pfizer, said: “We are proud of the role we played alongside the authorities to ensure these serious criminals were brought to justice. We dedicated time, resource and expertise to ensure these illicit counterfeit activities were prevented in order to protect public health.”
Eight defendants pleaded guilty at earlier hearings and the trial for two defendants concluded today at Wolverhampton Crown Court.
They are:
• Brian Pitts, (pictured bottom left) aged 29 of Beebee Road, Wednesbury, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to money launder, conspiracy to commit a trademark offence, conspiracy to supply class C drugs and evade prohibition / restriction on exporting class C drugs.
• Lee Lloyd, (pictured bottom right) aged 47 of Gayfield Avenue, Brierley Hill, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to money launder, conspiracy to supply class C drugs, conspiracy to commit a trademark offence and conspiracy to avoid a prohibition on exporting class C drugs.
• Kyle Smith, (pictured top right) aged 25 of Beech Road, Wednesbury, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class C drugs, conspiracy to commit a trademark offence, conspiracy to avoid a prohibition on exporting class C drugs.
• Scott Tonkinson, aged 35 of Arundel Road, Willenhall, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit a trademark offence, conspiracy to supply class C drugs and evade prohibition/restriction on exporting class C drugs.
• Anthony Pitts, aged 40 of Belmont Close, Tipton, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class C drugs, conspiracy to commit a trademark offence, conspiracy to avoid a prohibition on exporting class C drugs.
• Mark Bayley, aged 62 of Jeremy Road, Wolverhampton, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class C drugs and conspiracy to commit a trademark offence.
• Deborah Bellingham, aged 57 of Windsor Road, Tipton, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class C drugs and conspiracy to commit a trademark offence.
• Katie Harlow, (pictured top left) aged 26 of Beebee Road, Wednesbury, pleaded guilty to money laundering.
Jordan Pitts, (pictured below) aged 25 of Hickman Road, Tipton and Bladon Roper, aged 24 of Stourbridge Road, Brierley Hill, have stood trial and were found guilty yesterday of assisting in the commission of an offence.
All ten will be sentenced at a later date.
