Customs officials in Dubai have seized one of the largest hauls of Viagra ever for the region.
The team discovered 7 million Viagra and Cialis pills being stored in the warehouse of a registered local company in the Dry Port area of Dubai. Later tests showed that the pills were not genuine versions of Viagra or Cialis, but were counterfeits designed to look like the branded medication.
In a statement, the Dubai Customs Director General Ahmed Butti Ahmed said that the haul contained other sexual supplements that are banned in the United Arab Emirates. As in other countries around the world, it is illegal to supply Viagra in Dubai without a doctor’s prescription.
He added that it was thought that the fake pills were shipped over from another Arab country but refused to specify which one, saying that it could harm the investigation.
Customs suspect that those smuggling the medications were planning to re-export them to another country.
So far, three people have been arrested. Ahmed said that after investigation, it was revealed that an employee of the company that owns the warehouse agreed with an Arab trader to store the medication there. He was paid AED 3000 a month in return.
Ahmed also said that Dubai customs were determined to crack down on smuggling, describing their vision as being that in the near future they will be the leading customs body in the world.