Trading Standards officers, working with the Metropolitan Police, discovered unregulated erectile dysfunction drugs during a raid on shops in west London that led to arrests. The operation inspected 14 premises in Hounslow, with contraband found in 10 of them.
Among the seized pharmaceuticals was flavoured Sildenafil Kamagra Oral Jelly, manufactured in India. Kamagra is an erectile dysfunction tablet sold unlawfully online and is not approved for sale in the UK or the European Union. It is reported to function similarly to Viagra due to sharing the same primary active ingredient, sildenafil, but there are health risks because of insufficient information regarding its precise contents and potential side effects.
Second unlicensed treatment found
A second unregulated erectile dysfunction treatment, Sildamax Sildenafil tablets – also produced in India – was discovered in the high street shops during the inspections. During the operation, police officers confiscated controlled substances and made several arrests. Inquiries into the discoveries are ongoing.
The seizures included 1,019 packets of illicit cigarettes amounting to more than 20,000 individual smokes, 440 pouches of hand rolling tobacco, 813 packets of oral tobacco products, 445 vapes, 492 packets and sachets of medicines, and 27 pouches of shisha tobacco.
Consumer hazards and criminal links
Trading Standards said unregulated and illicit tobacco and vapes carry significant consumer hazards as they often bypass safety standards and may contain unidentified ingredients. Hounslow Council said such goods are frequently manufactured in unsanitary conditions and sold well below the cost of legitimate products. The supply of counterfeit tobacco is routinely connected to organised criminal activity, said the local authority, including human trafficking, drugs, and illegal immigration.
Councillor Amy Croft, cabinet member for enforcement, said: "The sale of illicit tobacco, unregulated vapes, counterfeit products and unsafe medicines puts consumers at risk and undermines the many responsible businesses that operate within the law.
"Residents have a right to expect that the products being sold in our communities are safe and legitimate.
"My message to rogue traders is clear: we will continue to pursue and disrupt this activity wherever we find it."
Members of the public who suspect the sale of illegal tobacco, counterfeit goods, or unsafe products can report them via email or anonymously through Citizens Advice.
