Dubai has become a major transit point for trafficking in counterfeit drugs and Viagra, the popular recipe for impotency, tops the list.
DUBAI: Dubai has become a major transit point for trafficking in counterfeit drugs and Viagra, the popular recipe for impotency, tops the list. A major part of the fake drugs are meant for the Indian subcontinent.
About 41 per cent of counterfeit drugs seized in 2005 came from the Far East, while 35 per cent came from north Asia. The Middle East, Africa and Europe accounted for 8 per cent each. Impotency drug Viagra accounted for 15 per cent of the total drugs Dubai’s customs officials seized last year. It was by far the most popular counterfeit drug with traffickers, officials from customs, health as well as intellectual property departments told reporters.
Other drugs seized included steroid injections for performance enhancement and beauty shots, Botox. Panadol, a painkiller equivalent of Crocin was also recovered in large quantities. There have been allegations that most of the Panadol tablets available in the groceries and supermarkets here were counterfeit.
The drug is popular with expatriate Indians who carry it in large quantities during their trips to India. Mohammad Mattar Al Mari, Executive Director of Customs Operations at Dubai Customs, said Dubai was a transit point and a major share of the drugs were meant of other countries including India.
“Dubai is a logistics hub for many regions. The drugs go from here to other countries, such as Russia, the Indian sub-continent and Africa,” he said.
Dubai is a huge market for spurious goods including automobile spare parts, high-end watches, perfumes, DVDs and even alcohol. In the popular Karama market in Dubai, Rolex watches — duplicates of course — are available for Dh 100 (Rs 1200) and are a hit with tourists.
Municipality inspectors conduct raids from time to time but the fake goods return to the shelves sooner or later.
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