'We are coming for you' - Operation in Lincolnshire targets group peddling ‘fake, dangerous and illegal’ weight loss drugs
An organised crime group peddling ‘fake, dangerous and illegal’ weight loss drugs has been disrupted following a multi-agency operation in Lincolnshire yesterday (Tuesday, February 24), police have said.
The operation was part of an ongoing investigation into the production and distribution of such drugs, Lincolnshire Police said.
It involved officers searching a large agricultural building in Newton, near Sleaford, that is believed to have been converted into an illicit manufacturing facility.
Lincolnshire Police was joined by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), Trading Standards and Immigration Enforcement in executing the warrant.
It resulted in a ‘significant quantity’ of products and equipment being seized, police said.
A residential address in Grantham was also searched, the force added. However, no arrests have been made.
A spokesman for the force said: “The seizure represents a major disruption to an organised crime group suspected of producing unlicensed weight‑loss substances and selling them online. Investigators believe the products were being marketed online, including social media platforms such as TikTok, enabling rapid and widespread distribution of unregulated and potentially dangerous drugs.”
A similar warrant was executed in Northamptonshire in October, police said. During this, officers seized thousands of empty weight‑loss pens, raw chemical ingredients, and more than 2,000 unlicensed injection pens, worth more than £250,000. They also recovered sophisticated packaging and manufacturing equipment, along with about £20,000 in cash linked to medicines trafficking.
“These coordinated enforcement actions followed reports that members of the public who had purchased these unregulated medicines were becoming unwell or finding that the products were ineffective,” the spokesman continued. “The MHRA has warned that such illicit weight‑loss injections – often made with no regard for safety, sterility, or quality – pose a serious risk to health, with untested ingredients, incorrect dosing, and potential contamination that can lead to significant harm.
“Health officials stress that these unlicensed, potentially deadly products are part of a dangerous illegal market that puts lives at risk, urging the public to avoid buying weight‑loss medicines from unregulated sources and to access treatment only under appropriate medical supervision.”
The final tally from yesterday’s seizures is still being confirmed, but officers have recovered thousands of doses of the weight loss drug, equipment used in the manufacturing process, vehicles, and a large quantity of suspected pharmaceutical ingredients. The pharmaceutical ingredients from the scene have been sent for laboratory analysis to determine its exact composition, the force said.
Representatives from the agencies involved in the operation provided the following comments:
- Andy Morling, Head of the MHRA's Criminal Enforcement Unit, said: “The message from yesterday could not be clearer: we are coming for you. Our raid in October was just the start. Every illegal product seized, every arrest, every prosecution brings us closer to dismantling these networks completely and protecting the public, and we will stop at nothing to hold criminals to account for the harm they are knowingly doing. I’m grateful to our partners in Lincolnshire Police, Immigration Enforcement and Lincolnshire County Council Trading Standards for their support to today’s operation.”
- DI Samuel Ward, of Lincolnshire Police’s Intelligence Development Unit said: “The production and sale of counterfeit weight‑loss drugs is incredibly dangerous – these substances are unregulated and pose a real risk to anyone who uses them. The information we received allowed us to identify, plan, and execute a warrant that has caused serious disruption to a group profiting from unregulated weight-loss drugs. Criminal groups exploiting vulnerable people for profit have no place in our communities, and we will continue to work relentlessly with our partners to dismantle these operations and keep the public safe. I want to thank our partners at the MHRA, Trading Standards, and Immigration Enforcement for their hard work and professionalism throughout this operation.”
- PC Christopher Green, from Sleaford's Neighbourhood Policing Team said: “Today’s pre-planned warrants highlight the strength of our joint agency work to protect the public from organised crime. Our communities expect proactive action, and this operation sends a clear message that such criminality will not be tolerated in Lincolnshire. Through coordinated enforcement, we aim to disrupt offenders and reassure the public that we act on their concerns. We thank the community for their support and encourage anyone with information to contact us on 101 or via the Lincolnshire Police website.”
- Andy Wright, from Lincolnshire County Council’s Trading Standards, said: “Lincolnshire County Council Trading Standards works closely with partners, including Lincolnshire Police, to keep our communities safe. The public must be aware of the significant health risks associated with these unlicensed substances. The product involved remains in clinical trials and has not been certified for use in any form – and that certification is there to protect people from dangerous, untested ingredients. We remain vigilant and will continue to investigate and remove any products that put the health and safety of our residents at risk. We will ensure other Trading Standards Services across the country are aware of the products and how to identify them so that, when found, they can be effectively removed from the marketplace.”
Counterfeit weight‑loss drugs frequently contain unlicensed ingredients, and their sale is illegal, police continued, urging the public not to purchase medication from unverified online sources and to report suspicious products or activity.
The MHRA has issued guidance on the safe use of GLP-1 medicines, including that these medicines should not be bought from unregulated sellers such as beauty salons or via social media: GLP-1 medicines for weight loss and diabetes: what you need to know - GOV.UK
“Lincolnshire Police, the MHRA, Trading Standards, and Immigration Enforcement remain committed to protecting the public, removing dangerous products from circulation, and dismantling organised criminal networks operating within the county,” the spokesman added.