TIP-OFFS AND TAKEDOWNS Malaysian authorities said its enforcement action was prompted by public tip-offs submitted online. Mohd Zawawi Abdullah, director of the pharmacy enforcement division at Malaysia’s Ministry of Health, said its public complaints management system allows people to report suspicious products or sales. “Once we verified this complaint, our team moved in to carry out enforcement actions,” he said. Tens of thousands of boxes filled with illicit medicine were discovered by authorities in a raid across the Klang Valley region surrounding Kuala Lumpur. The sting targeted warehouses believed to be distribution hubs for the online trade of illegal pharmaceuticals. It also covered shophouses, and residential units where pharmaceuticals were being stored and repackaged illegally. Officers from the health ministry led the charge, alongside local authorities and Interpol. As part of the operation, authorities also intercepted travellers arriving at Kuala Lumpur International Airport with large quantities of unregistered medicine that far exceeded the amounts permitted under their prescriptions or visa durations. Hidden among personal items, the drugs were believed to be part of a wider network of imports disguised as personal use, but intended for sale.