Viagra cache from Mumbai seized in UK

British officials have seized more than 80,000 Viagra tablets worth nearly 300,000 pounds that were shipped from Mumbai disguised as food additives.

British officials have seized more than 80,000 Viagra tablets worth nearly 300,000 pounds that were shipped from Mumbai disguised as food additives.

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The cache was seized at the Newcastle International Airport after it arrived at London Heathrow and was further dispatched to north England.

Officials believe that the pills, packed in eight separate crates, may be counterfeit and will now be destroyed to prevent them reaching the black market.

Fred Simmons, assistant director of the UK Border Agency, said: "Medicines smuggled into the country illegally are often found to be counterfeit and as such pose a huge health risk to the end user."

He added: "Anyone tempted to buy these illegitimate products, whether over the interned or otherwise, should also remember that the gangs smuggling these goods often have links to serious organised crime."

When Customs officials at Newcastle inspected the load, they found more than 80,000 Sildenafil pills.

Sildenafil is the active ingredient of Viagra.

Head of enforcement at the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, Mick Deats, said: "The dangers of buying medicines from illegitimate sources are that you just don’t know what you are taking."

The cache was being dealt with by a handling agent and inquiries are ongoing into the people behind the smuggling scam.