IT’S 4am in Glasgow and a dealer has just finished his shift dropping off drugs to customers. “These will go fast again, same as last time,” his boss texted potential buyers earlier that night.
Down at Heathrow, border cops have managed to stop yet another brazen drug smuggler from getting through, their contraband strapped to their bodies. But it’s not , or that these gangsters are trading – it’s .
Fat jabs like Ozempic are used by more than a million Brits, but now they’re flooding the black market too
Dealers are using WhatsApp to sell fat jabs alongside drugs like cocaine and ketamine
The UK’s medicine’s regulator recovered more than 1,200 fake jabs over the last two years
Celebs like Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace say they have paid the price for using black market jabs
With demand soaring and prices rising, crime gangs across Britain are starting to cash in on the nation’s slimming obsession, by flogging .
Menus for “slimming pens” are circulating on encrypted apps alongside and ketamine – with one dealer flogging max-strength kits for £170, undercutting online pharmacies.
However, often cooked up in Breaking Bad-style labs more used to making drugs like meth and ecstasy, counterfeit jabs can pose serious health risks to users.
Found to contain toxic chemicals, they have already left desperate Brits – including – comatose and close to death.
Mike Delaney is one of a number of healthcare professionals seeing the real-world consequences of this dangerous new drugs wave.
The therapist, a clinical director at the Delamere addiction clinic in , says he recently discovered a client had purchased from a drug dealer, despite not being overweight.
While some will likely to turn to the black market for the cheaper costs, he explains, others will do so out of shame or necessity.
Mike fears that many of the criminals’ customers will be people with eating disorders like , who would never be able to access the drug legally – but are still after its appetite-suppressing effects.
Dealers, he adds, are already used to producing counterfeit versions of other drugs – and will be using that experience to manufacture fake slimming jabs.
He tells us: “Some of them will be coming from abroad where these drugs are legal, buying them in bulk and then supplying them via post.
“But some of them are counterfeit, made in homemade factories.
“That’s where the danger lies as well, because they put in whatever drug they can to make you think it’s the right drug. But it’s cheap, so it sells well.”
Underworld craze
Earlier this year The Sun revealed that drug lords in Glasgow were flogging Ozempic for just £80.
With legit prescriptions rocketing in price, demand is so fierce experts say it was “only a matter of time” before the underworld moved in.
Dr Mohammed Qasim, criminologist at the University of Bradford, told The Sun: “Drug dealers are always on the lookout for the next big money-spinner – and right now that’s weight-loss jabs.
“Despite being criminal enterprises, they have the same entrepreneurial instincts as legitimate businesses and never to fail to spot opportunities to profit.
“With demand for slimming injections soaring, some dealers are turning to their traditional supply chains to deliver these products.
“They are leveraging their existing distribution channels and can buy and sell with relative ease.
“They see it as a no-brainer – selling weight jabs carries lower legal risks than traditional , yet in many cases with even higher profit margins.
“So from their perspective, it is an obvious business move.
“But make no mistake – these are , not clinicians. They don’t care about product quality, storage, or safety.”
Big Brother star Aisleyne was almost killed by dodgy fat jabs
Aisleyne’s drugs came in an unbranded syringe
Medicines watchdog the MHRA says it has , taken down 128 websites and deleted 250 social media ads – though the figures are likely to be scratching the surface.
In , crooks were found be selling Ozempic on , with pens delivered wrapped in kitchen roll.
Lab tests found the contents did not contain the active ingredient semaglutide – but potentially fatal carnitine.
Dicing with death
Over recent months, users of counterfeit jabs have spoken out to warn of the horrifying dangers.
Michelle Sword, from Carterton, Oxfordshire, said she slipped into a diabetic coma after ordering a slimming drug from an online beauty company.
The mother-of-two believed she had bought Ozempic but, instead, it was fast-acting insulin.
“I can’t believe that I allowed my insecurities to almost kill me,” she told the BBC .
They put in whatever drug they can to make you think it’s the right drug. But it’s cheap, so it sells well
Mike Delaney
Meanwhile, Big Brother star after buying counterfeit jabs on WhatsApp.
The pen arrived in a box with ice packs, but without any medical paperwork, leaving her vomiting, fainting, and comatose for three days.
Aisleyne, 46, said: “I was really embarrassed that I did something so stupid.
“It was a really foolish thing to do, and I want people to know to never do that, and don’t copy me. I thought I was going to die.”
Detective Constable Jason Theobald warns the public “must be aware of the very real dangers of purchasing counterfeit or unlicensed medicines”.
He says: “Not only are they potentially unsafe, but they could also be sold without the necessary medical advice and therefore are extremely dangerous to the public.”
Detectives are hunting Christina Parfitt in connection with the illegal sale of fake weight loss drugs
Smugglers have been stopped at Heathrow’s border control with jabs strapped to their body
Branching out
More than 1.5 million people are on weight-loss drugs such as Mounjaro and Ozempic in the UK.
Some obtain the hunger-busting drug through the NHS but most are reliant on private prescriptions issued by specialised medical professionals after a consultation.
But with from £133 to around £250 for a 2.5mg dose, fears are growing even more Brits will turn to backstreet dealers.
Dr Niall Campbell, consultant psychiatrist at Priory, is another professional who has witnessed the phenomenon first-hand, hearing of one client being offered weight-loss jabs by a drug dealer for £170 a go.
He says: “Drug dealers have long provided addictive drugs, profiting from people who are vulnerable.
“It’s no surprise then to see they’re now branching out to meet the high level of demand for weight-loss drugs too.
“Weight-loss drugs are highly appealing to many people with eating disorders who wouldn’t be able to acquire them from the NHS so there’s a space there for drug dealers to supply on the black market.”
With the price of weight loss drugs massively on the increase it is inevitable that criminals will look to corner this market
Kevin Moore
Former top cop Kevin Moore says the attraction of so-called ‘skinny jabs’ to crime gangs is no surprise.
The ex-detective chief inspector said: “We all need to recognise that organised criminals do not constrain themselves to the supply of traditional Class A drugs.
“With the it is inevitable that criminals will look to corner this market.
“They work on current needs and, as always, it is a case of supply and demand.
“Worryingly, there is a potential health risk because people will have little idea of exactly what they are buying as they will not know the provenance of what they are taking”.
Drug dealers in Scotland have found Ozempic is in high demand
Black market versions of slimming jabs have also been found to contain potentially lethal drugs
Criminal gangs have also been caught attempting to smuggle jabs into the UK in large-scale operations.
Freedom of information data revealed that more than 18,300 illegal weight loss and diabetes drugs were seized at UK borders in the year to June.
They included smugglers stopped at with fake Mounjaro pens strapped to their bodies.
Cops last month seized £32,000 worth of knock-off pens, naming 40-year-old Christina Parfitt as wanted in a major probe.
Former Met detective Peter Bleksley tells us: “Most criminals are lazy. They’re always on the lookout for ways in which to make lots of money, whilst exerting as little energy as possible.
“Now they’ve been gifted another lucrative and illegal opportunity, because the price of hugely popular weight loss drugs has increased dramatically.
“Criminals will be rubbing their hands together with glee, as they set up bogus laboratories in which to manufacture fakes, figure out how to steal these drugs from wherever they are stored or transported, and seek to corrupt those employed in the legitimate supply chain.
“The Government needs to get a grip of this situation, and fast, before another generation of villains have the chance to buy mock-Tudor mansions and very expensive cars to park on their driveways.”
Flimsy fakes
The City of London Police’s Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit launched a probe over counterfeit goods – including Mounjaro and Ozempic – advertised at bargain prices online.
It was later identified that an organised crime group had been involved in the sale and distribution of the counterfeit meds, said to include the yet-to-be approved weight-shift drug Retatrutide.
The 7 fat jab mistakes stopping you losing weight
WHILE have been hailed as a breakthrough in helping tackle Britain’s obesity crisis, some users say they’re missing out on their waist-shrinking powers – and it could be down to some simple mistakes…
POOR PENMANSHIP
Many people don’t correctly use the injection pen, according to Ana Carolina Goncalves, a pharmacist at Pharmica in Holborn, London.
Make sure to prime your weight loss pen correctly, as per the instructions. If nothing comes out, try again, and if it still doesn’t work, switch the needle or ask a pharmacist for help.
It’s also recommended to rotate injection sites between the abdomen, thigh and upper arm to avoid small lumps of fat under the skin.
TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE
Make sure you’re using the jabs on the most effective day of your schedule.
For example, taking the jab right before a takeaway or party won’t stop you from indulging, says Jason Murphy, head of pharmacy and weight loss expert at Chemist4U.
Weight loss injections need time to build up in your system, so if you’re planning for a heavier weekend, inject your dose mid-week.
MAKING A MEAL OF IT
You may not feel the urge to overeat at mealtimes due to the jabs. But skipping meals altogether can backfire, says Dr David Huang, director of clinical innovation at weight loss service Voy.
If a person is extremely malnourished, their body goes into emergency conservation mode, where their metabolism slows down.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
A key mistake using weight loss jabs is not eating the right foods.
As well as cutting out and , Dr Vishal Aggarwal, Healthium Clinics recommends focusing on your protein intake.
DE-HYDRATION STATIONS
Dehydration is a common side effect of weight loss injections. But it’s important to say hydrated in order for your body to function properly.
Dr Crystal Wyllie, GP at Asda Online Doctor, says hydration supports metabolism, digestion, and can reduce side effects like , nausea and .
MOVE IT, MOVE IT
It can be easy to see the jabs as a quick fix, but stopping altogether is a mistake, says Mital Thakrar, a pharmacist from Well Pharmacy.
Exercise helps maintain muscle mass and help shape the body as you lose weight, which may be crucial if you’re experiencing excess skin.
QUIT IT
While there’s the tendency to ditch the jabs as soon as you reach your desired weight, stopping them too soon can cause rapid regain.
Mr Thakrar recommends building habits like healthier eating during treatment for sustaining results.
Tests on the pens, seized from a delivery fulfilment centre in Lancashire, displayed doses far stronger than recommended.
The key identifier for a fake jab is the low cost and its appearance.
While real weight loss pens come in well-designed packaging with clear, high-quality printing and branding, packaging for fake pens may have spelling mistakes, blurry printing, or incorrect logos.
The materials used for real pens feel solid and well made, whereas a fake pen is likely to feel cheap and flimsy.
Real pens also have a unique serial number that matches the manufacturer records.
A spokesperson for the MHRA said: “Sourcing medicines from illegal suppliers significantly increases the risk of getting a product which is either falsified or not authorised for use in the UK.
“This could expose patients to incorrect dosages, or dangerous or illegal ingredients that can have serious health consequences.”
