Almost 2,000 doses of ‘dangerous’ illegal weight-loss jabs seized in raids
Illegal weight loss drugs have been seized from a Lincolnshire farm and home suspected of being involved in a criminal ring producing and selling counterfeit needles.
Nearly 2,000 doses of dangerous “skinny needles” were seized in two raids by officers from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and Lincolnshire Police.
Production equipment, suspicious pharmaceutical substances, packaging and commercial vehicles were also found during the raids. The street value of the ultimate slimming products alone is estimated at more than £250,000.
Lincolnshire Police said the raids were in response to reports that people were “not well” after using unregulated drugs or that the products were “ineffective”.
Health authorities have warned that unlicensed products are potentially lethal and are often produced “without consideration for safety, sterility or quality”.
Dr Zubir Ahmed, minister for health innovation and patient safety, said: “We will not allow criminals to profit from exploiting people seeking help with their weight.
“Do not buy weight loss medications from unregulated sources. Safe, effective, licensed treatments can make a real difference to those who need them, but they must come from a registered pharmacy with a valid prescription.”
Medicines such as Wegovy and Mounjaro have helped more than 1.5 million people lose extra weight in the UK alone, with 4 per cent of households now using them. But counterfeit versions of these drugs not only make people sick, but can also be fatal in some cases.
Two premises searched last Tuesday – a farm near Sleaford and a residential address in Grantham – are believed to be used for the production and distribution of unlicensed weight loss drugs such as retatrutide and tirzepatide, as well as peptide products.
The trend of organized crime gangs producing counterfeit weight loss drugs was revealed last year, leading the MHRA to make the largest weight loss drug trafficking seizure ever recorded by any global law enforcement agency.
More than 2,000 unlicensed retatrutide and tirzepatide pens destined for shipment to customers were seized by the MHRA in a raid on an illegal weight loss pill factory in Northampton in October 2025.
The weight loss pens were empty and ready to be filled with chemicals.
Andy Morling, head of the MHRA’s corrections unit, said after last Tuesday’s raid: “Today’s message to those involved in the illegal drug trade could not be clearer: we are coming for you. Our raid in October was just the beginning.”
“Every illicit product and production equipment we seize disrupts these criminal networks and brings us closer to dismantling them once and for all. We will stop at nothing to protect the public and hold criminals accountable for the harm they knowingly inflict.”
