Bangladesh, Feb. 26 -- A sweeping international law-enforcement operation spanning 30 countries has dealt a significant blow to the global trade in counterfeit pharmaceuticals, seizing fake medicines and illegal supplements worth more than €33 million ($38.86 million) and dismantling five clandestine laboratories, according to Europol.

The coordinated crackdown, conducted between April and November 2025, targeted criminal networks trafficking falsified and misused medicines that pose severe public-health risks. Authorities prosecuted 3,354 suspects and identified 43 organized crime groups operating across borders, underscoring the scale and sophistication of the illicit pharmaceutical trade.

Counterfeit pharmaceuticals have evolve...