ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) said on Saturday that it had arrested one suspect and seized 63 types of suspected illegal and unregistered medicines, including thousands of Indian-made pills, in what it described as one of its largest crackdowns on illicit pharmaceutical trade.

The seizure was made during a raid in Pakistan’s Punjab province, amid ongoing operations against the supply chain of illegal, counterfeit, and unregistered medicines. The seized items included pills, capsules, sprays, creams and gels.

Twenty-nine of the recovered 63 medicine types were of Indian origin, according to the FIA. The remaining products were reported to have originated from Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States and Hong Kong.

The agency said it had arrested a suspect, Abdul Sattar, during the recovery of pharmaceutical products from his premises in Punjab’s Okara district.

“The seizure of these 63 types of pharmaceutical products marks one of the largest operations to date against the illegal trade of such medicines,” the FIA said in a statement.

“This development is a significant step forward in tracing the supply chain and distribution network of this illicit business.”

The agency said further investigations would determine the involvement of other individuals and networks allegedly linked to the illegal trade.

Pakistan has periodically launched crackdowns against counterfeit, smuggled and unregistered medicines as these products pose serious risks to public health and often enter the market through illegal supply chains.

The FIA said action against those involved in the illegal medicines trade would continue.