IMPOTENCE drugs worth £17,000 were seized from the home of man caught illegally selling them on the internet.
Neil Johnson, 35, of Campion Drive, Deeping St James, was caught in a nationwide crackdown by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the Government body responsible for ensuring medicines and medical devices work and are safe.
B
ourne magistrates heard on Wednesday agency officers bought 20mg of Apcalis, an unlicensed Viagra substitute, from Buttercup Strategy, the company Mr Johnson ran from his home.
After this test purchase, officers visited the property on April 27 last year and seized Apcalis jellies along with a range of similar products, including 3,000 Kanagra tablets, 160 Lovegra tablets and 168 Tadamax tablets, along with 95 sachets of Kanagra.
The drugs are used to treat impotence and erectile dysfunction and the agency say together they were worth £17,000.
The raid was part of an enforcement initiative by agency to hit sellers of illegal and unlicensed medicines.
The drugs could be dangerous to people suffering from angina or high blood pressure.
Johnson admitted selling medicine without prescription.
Mr Andrew Cave, in mitigation, said Johnson had displayed a medical warning on his website and had been unaware he was selling illegal products.
He said Johnson had fallen prey to the lure of easy money after being bombarded by internet advertising for the products, but had helped the agency in its investigation to identify other suppliers.
Mr Cave said: “What you don’t have here is an undercover business type operation – what you have is someone who is naïve.”
Magistrates fined Johnson £500 and told him to pay £500 costs.
A destruction order was made for the drugs.
