Some of intercepted counterfeit medicines
צילום: משרד החקלאות
Fake medicines intercepted en route to Israel
Agriculture Ministry investigators find fake veterinary medicines, pesticides in car traveling to Israel from Palestinian Authority
Agriculture Ministry investigators intercepted a vehicle carrying fake veterinary medicines and unlicensed pesticides at a checkpoint near Bet Aryeh, in the West Bank.
According to suspicions, the vehicle's driver, an Arab Israeli resident of Baka al-Gharbiya, attempted to smuggle the medicines into Israel from the Palestinian Authority.
The driver was also carrying tests, syringes, and various forms of medicines. The suspect, who was taken for interrogation, is not known to the Agriculture Ministry for similar offences.
The ministry plans to press legal charges against the suspect.
Ministry officials have stressed the danger in using the smuggled medicines, which could have harmed people who consumed the meat of animals injected with the illegal substances.
For this reason, the Agriculture Ministry calls for checks and meat to be purchased only from legal retailers under veterinary monitoring.
Head investigator Roee Klieger said: "The fake medicines were ready for marketing in Israel with clear danger for people and animals. These medicines were unapproved and their real source is unknown. We would like to track down the source – the person who concocted the medicines."
