More than one in three illicit drug samples contain unexpected substances, testing finds

What it is about

Who published it, and when

How it spread - 8 original reports

1. Thu, 24 September 2026

   1 report
   • theconversation.com20:00first to report
     More than one in three illicit drug samples contain unexpected substances, testing finds

     Drug testing has found potent synthetic opioids and other unexpected substances in products sold as heroin, diazepam and cannabis.

2. Tue, 29 September 2026

   1 report
   • Euronews13:00
     Counterfeit medicine trade: how online pharmacies are selling deadly fake painkillers across Europe

     Deadly synthetic opioids disguised as legitimate painkillers are being sold online across Europe, as counterfeit medicines linked to multiple deaths in the Netherlands expose the dark side of e-commerce.

3. Mon, 5 October 2026

   1 report
   • Die Zeit (Germany)08:03
     Rezeptfälschungen: Manchmal schicken sie sogar Minderjährige in die Apotheke

     Mit Fake-Rezepten ergaunern Kriminelle teure Medikamente gegen Krebs, Diabetes oder Depressionen. Der Schaden: mehrere Millionen Euro. Nun haben sie eine neue Masche.

4. Wed, 7 October 2026

   1 report
   • AllAfrica03:52
     Central Africa: When Streets Become Pharmacies - Booming Illicit Markets in Central Africa

     [UN News] Antibiotics, malaria treatments, painkillers, opioids. More than 250 tonnes of medical products were seized over six years in Central Africa. Behind those numbers is an illicit market that thrives not simply despite the region's fragile health systems, but in part because of them.

5. Sat, 10 October 2026

   1 report
   • opinionnigeria.com14:34
     Fake Drugs, Stolen Lives: Nigeria Must Act Before More Families Mourn -By Isaac Asabor

     Equally important is the need to make legitimate medicines easier to obtain through reliable and traceable distribution channels. Weaknesses in pharmaceutical supply chains create opportunities for unscrupulous operators to introduce falsified products. This is why the call for coordinated action made by African pharmaceutical stakeholders at the fourth Thematic General Assembly of the African Pharmaceutical Distributors Association in Lagos on October 8 deserves practical follow-through.

6. Sun, 11 October 2026

   1 report
   • ghanamma.com12:45
     Worse Than Insecurity: How Counterfeit Products Are Sending Nigerians To Early Graves
7. Sat, 17 October 2026

   1 report
   • opinionnigeria.com04:07
     FG Must Declare State of Emergency Against Fake Drugs and Substandard Consumable -By Michael Oyewole

     The late Dr. Dora Akunyili showed that determined leadership can turn this tide. Nigerians were told then that the fight was impossible, and it proved otherwise. Today's leaders should show the same courage. The question is not whether we can afford to act. We cannot afford another year of silence while Nigerians are slowly poisoned.

8. Thu, 22 October 2026

   1 report
   • AllAfrica07:42
     South Africa: Black Market Weight-Loss Drug Sellers Are Moving Fast. South Africa's Regulators Are Struggling To Keep Up

     [Bhekisisa] South African regulators have won an important court battle against a pharmacy making its own versions of popular weight-loss injections. But illegal and experimental drugs are still being sold openly, while new rules to crack down on the trade are months away. Why is the country struggling to stop the sellers -- and how can consumers tell whether the medicines they're buying are safe?