Three men have been sentenced to prison after stealing nearly £1 million (approximately RM5.7 million) worth of the weight-loss drug Mounjaro from a healthcare warehouse in St Albans, England.
Mark Harding, 55, Peter Costello, 44, and Robert Townsend, 59, admitted carrying out the burglary, which saw 79 boxes of the prescription medication, valued at more than £944,000 (around RM5.4 million), stolen from the facility in Hertfordshire.
Investigators said Harding and Costello initially broke into the warehouse in January after disabling security cameras. They reportedly stole a small quantity of the medication before returning with Townsend to carry out a larger, pre-planned raid. The case highlights the growing black-market demand for popular weight-loss drugs, which have become increasingly sought after worldwide.
Police tracked the trio using mobile phone records, CCTV footage and automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras, leading to their arrests and guilty pleas at St Albans Crown Court.
Detective Sergeant Will Daglish described the burglary as a serious offence, warning that Mounjaro must be stored under strict conditions and can pose significant health risks if handled or administered improperly.
He said the suspects’ decision to break into refrigerated storage units jeopardised public safety, adding that the theft was clearly a calculated and organised operation.
Costello, Harding and Townsend were each sentenced to five years and three months in prison. Harding and Townsend received an additional nine months after also admitting to possessing criminal property.
