The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has frozen more than £200,000 held in three UK bank accounts as part of an ongoing criminal investigation into an illegal weight-loss injection network trading as Alluvi Healthcare. Orders were granted at Northampton Magistrates' Court under the Proceeds of Crime Act, freezing £131,985.66 held in a Barclays account belonging to Charles Mapira, £56,816.90 in a Wise account held by a company called Ecommerce Nutri Collectiv Limited, and £11,706 in an account belonging to Faisal Tariq. According to the MHRA's criminal enforcement unit, the network built its own weight-loss jab brand rather than counterfeiting an existing one, selling unlicensed injections presented as tirzepatide, the active ingredient in Mounjaro, and retatrutide, a drug not yet licensed for use anywhere in the world. The freeze orders allow the regulator to hold the funds for up to 12 months while the investigation continues.
Fourth raid in nine months
The bank account freeze follows four MHRA raids over nine months at sites in Northamptonshire and Lincolnshire, including a warehouse and an annexe of a stately home, which recovered thousands of doses of unlicensed injections. Andy Morling, head of the MHRA's criminal enforcement unit, said creating a standalone brand rather than counterfeiting an established one represented a new pattern of criminal activity in this market. Neither Mapira nor Tariq responded to media requests for comment, and no charges have been announced.
What this means for buying health products online
Unlicensed injectable products bought outside a registered pharmacy carry no guarantee on ingredients, sterility or dose, which is why the MHRA treats them as illegal medicines rather than as supplements. It is a useful reminder to check that any health product, supplement included, comes from a traceable, authorised supply chain rather than an unverified seller. Perqen's FAQs page explains how its stock is sourced through an authorised EU distributor.
How Perqen members save
This is an enforcement story about unlicensed medicines, not about anything Perqen stocks, so there is no product link here. Membership at £4.99 a month or £29.99 a year unlocks member pricing across Perqen's catalogue of established, mainstream supplement brands.
This article reports published news and research and is for information only. Food supplements are not a substitute for a varied diet or medical care, and no product mentioned is intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Speak to your GP or pharmacist before changing what you take, especially if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or taking prescribed medicines.