Illegal Circulation of Medicines Worth Over 15 Billion Soums Halted In Namangan Region

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — In Namangan Region, law enforcement authorities have prevented the illegal distribution of medicines worth more than 15 billion soums.

Officers of the State Security Service, in cooperation with the Department for Combating Economic Crimes and customs authorities, carried out special operations to stop the circulation of illegally imported and substandard pharmaceuticals.

In Kosonsoy District, a 37-year-old local resident was detained while attempting to sell 2,100 packs of the drug Ferromed, produced in India, valued at 168 million soums. The medicine was not registered in the state registry and lacked certificates of conformity.

A subsequent search of his residence uncovered an additional 4,296 packs of Ferromed, with an estimated market value of 1.223 billion soums. A criminal case has been opened under Article 186³ of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and investigative proceedings are underway.

Separately, in Namangan, three non-residential premises were inspected, belonging to the manager of a pharmaceutical wholesale company and two of his associates. During the inspection, more than 195,000 units of counterfeit medicines across 2,307 types were seized, all lacking the required documentation. The estimated value of the confiscated products exceeded 12.8 billion soums. Judicial chemical and commodity examinations have been ordered, and preliminary investigations are continuing.

In another case, 45,641 units of medicines covering 128 types of foreign-made pharmaceuticals were seized from two “hidden warehouses” in Namangan and Uychi District. The estimated value of the drugs was 1.2 billion soums. Some of the medicines had no quality certificates, while others had expired. All confiscated medicines have been sent for expert analysis, and investigative measures are ongoing.

The comprehensive operations were aimed at protecting public health and ensuring compliance with national legislation governing the circulation of medicines.