The Security Service of Ukraine, the Office of the Prosecutor General, and the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Prosecutor’s Office are conducting more than 250 court-authorized searches in various regions of the country. The investigative actions are being carried out as part of a case involving the illegal production and sale of the counterfeit weight-loss drug Biopatid.
According to law enforcement officials, the drug was manufactured and sold by members of an organized group. This allegation reflects the investigators’ position within the criminal proceedings.
What charges are being investigated
The case is being investigated under Part 3 of Article 28 and Part 2 of Article 321-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
Article 321-1 of the Criminal Code establishes liability for the production, manufacture, acquisition, transportation, shipment, storage for the purpose of sale, or sale of knowingly counterfeit medicinal products.
Law enforcement officials describe Biopatid as a counterfeit medicinal product used for weight loss. They note that the illegal production and sale of such drugs may pose a risk to people who take them without knowing their origin or composition.
Details promised later
The searches are being conducted simultaneously in different regions of Ukraine. However, law enforcement officials did not specify where exactly the investigative actions are taking place, how many individuals are involved in the proceedings, whether any arrests have been made, or what was seized during the searches.
It has also not been reported what the alleged scale of distribution was, how the drug was distributed, or how long the scheme may have been operating. The Security Service of Ukraine and the prosecutor’s office promised to release details of the case later.
