GovWire

Cleave Lewis (35) and brothers, Denis Sutherland (58) and David Sutherland (59), were found in possession of nearly 1.3m tablets of prescription-only drugs, including powerful sleeping pills, painkillers and anti-anxiety meds, when officers from the MHRA and Greater Manchester Police searched their residential homes and business premises in October 2017.

The three men pleaded guilty to illegally making these medicines available online on three different websites for the public to purchase without prescriptions. As well as the controlled medicines, over half a million (525,737) erectile dysfunction, slimming and herbal tablets were also found, with an estimated value of approximately 500k.

Following the MHRAs investigation, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) brought charges against the Sutherlands and Lewis, who pleaded guilty on 30 November 2021 at Manchester Crown Court.

Denis Sutherland was sentenced to three years in jail, while David Sutherland and Cleave Lewis were sentenced to a year in jail, suspended for two years, with 200 hours of unpaid community work each.

Andy Morling, MHRA Deputy Director of Criminal Enforcement, said:

Criminals trading in medicines illegally like this are not only breaking the law, but they also have no regard for your safety. These are powerful medicines that can lead to serious adverse health consequences if taken without appropriate medical supervision.

We work hard to prevent, detect and investigate illegal activity involving medicines and medical devices to protect the public and defeat this harmful trade.

Our Criminal Enforcement Unit will continue working to protect your health by disrupting this harmful trade and bringing dangerous offenders to justice.

Find out more

MHRA safety advice when buying medicines online

Be careful when buying medicines online.

Medicines and medical devices are not ordinary consumer goods and their sale and supply is tightly controlled. Websites operating outside the legal supply chain may seem tempting, for example, offering a prescription medicine without a prescription. Not only are these sites breaking the law - they are putting your health at risk.

Do not self-prescribe.

Self-diagnosis and self-medication can be very dangerous. If you have a concern about your health, visit your GP, get a correct diagnosis and if medicines are prescribed, obtain them from a legitimate source.

Visit the #FakeMeds website for tools and resources to help people purchase medication or medical devices safely online.

You can report any products you believe to be fake or unlicensed to our 