£200k frozen in probe into illegal 'skinny jabs'

More than £200,000 has been frozen in bank accounts as part of an ongoing operation by the UK's medicines watchdog targeting illegal weight-loss jabs, a BBC investigation has found.

The three accounts affected are all linked to Alluvi Healthcare, whose branding appeared on all of the seized products.

Orders to freeze the accounts were made at Northampton Magistrates' Court following an application from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

The individuals and company concerned did not respond when approached by the BBC.

The largest amount was £131,985.66 held in a Barclays bank account belonging to Charles Mapira.

A further £56,816.90 in a Wise bank account belonging to a company called Ecommerce Nutri Collectiv Limited was also frozen.

The business describes its activities on Companies House as "retail sale via mail order or via Internet" and "non-specialised wholesale trade".

It was set up on 14 July 2025 and Mapira is its sole director.

A final account belonged to Faisal Tariq and contained £11,706.

As the BBC has previously reported, Tariq is the director of a business registered to a warehouse which was raided in October 2025.

The BBC contacted both men with questions about the money and their involvement with Alluvi products, but neither responded.

The orders, which were granted earlier this year, give the regulator powers to freeze the cash held in the three accounts for 12 months.

Records from the UK Intellectual Property Office show a trademark was registered for the name and logo of "Alluvi Healthcare" in April 2026 by Ecommerce Nutri Collectiv.

A previous investigation by the BBC found the brand Alluvi advertised on websites and social media platforms including Telegram, Instagram and TikTok.

It offered customers weight-loss jabs including tirzepatide, the generic name for the brand Mounjaro, and a new type of injectable weight-loss drug called retatrutide.

This is still undergoing clinical trials in the US and is not approved for use in the UK.

Medicines, including weight-loss drugs, are strictly regulated to ensure they are safe and effective.

These jabs are not made in licensed laboratories and therefore the ingredients, sterility, dosage and quality cannot be guaranteed, which is why they are considered illicit.

In the past nine months the MHRA has carried out four raids where thousands of doses of Alluvi weight-loss drugs were uncovered.

Seizures have taken place in two locations in Northampton: a warehouse on an industrial estate and an annexe of the stately home, Moulton Grange.

Further stings have also found black market jabs and production equipment at locations in Sleaford and Grantham, Lincolnshire.

The agency said it is part of an ongoing investigation into an organised criminal network, which it believes is behind the production, distribution and sale of illicit injections.

Andy Morling, head of the MHRA's criminal enforcement unit, said the current probe was the first time he had seen suspected criminals "creating their own brand" rather than producing counterfeit versions of existing brands.

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