Fake Viagra arrests in UK and Spain

Six people have been arrested in the UK and Spain on suspicion of importing and selling fake drugs including Viagra.

Some 300,000 doses of fake drugs were seized in the south-eastern Spanish city of Murcia, the UK and Cyprus, in the operation co-ordinated by Europol.

The agency said a criminal gang had been importing counterfeit medicines from Asia - mainly China and Singapore - for distribution in Europe.

Fake medicines could damage health and even be deadly, Europol said.

Two Britons were detained in the UK, while two Romanians, a Spaniard and a Dutch citizen were arrested by Spain's Guardia Civil.

The arrests at the end of last week were the result of an international policing operation spanning several months, Europol said in a statement.

The counterfeit medicines were being distributed via the internet to customers throughout Europe, it said.

"Unlicensed, untested and potentially laced with dangerous filler ingredients, fake medicine can put users' health, and even life, at risk," the statement added.

"It is very common for counterfeit medication to contain no active ingredients and often they are made using ineffective or dangerous substances which can cause liver damage, irreversible health problems or even prove to be fatal."