Two men have been arrested in what the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has called the largest ever seizure of unlicensed weight-loss medicines in the UK. The raid took place at a country estate near Northampton, where officers recovered approximately 12,000 doses of unlicensed drugs.
The MHRA's criminal enforcement unit, supported by Northamptonshire police, raided the property on 28 May. They uncovered a large-scale facility used to manufacture, assemble and distribute unlicensed products, including retatrutide, tirzepatide (sold under the brand name Mounjaro), and other peptide-based medicines.
Andy Morling, head of the MHRA’s criminal enforcement unit, said the operation demonstrated an 'unwavering commitment' to protecting public health and disrupting organised crime. He added that dismantling the illicit production facility would prevent significant public harm.
Investigators seized substantial quantities of packaging materials and what are believed to be pharmaceutical substances used in the illicit production. In November last year, the MHRA warned that organised crime gangs had begun manufacturing their own branded weight-loss drugs to resemble legitimate medicines.
This is the second raid on an illegal weight-loss drug factory in Northampton. The first, in October 2025, saw tens of thousands of empty weight-loss pens, raw chemical ingredients, and over 2,000 unlicensed pens seized, but no arrests were made.
