A factory manufacturing counterfeit weight loss jabs has been raided and dismantled, in what officials have described as the largest single seizure ever recorded.
Officers from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) alongside Northamptonshire Police raided a warehouse in Northampton.
They seized tens of thousands of empty weight loss pens ready to be filled, raw chemical ingredients, and more than 2,000 unlicensed retatrutide and tirzepatide pens.
The street value of the finished weight loss products alone is estimated to be more than £250,000, said officers.
The site, on an industrial estate on the outskirts of Northampton, is believed to have been used for the large-scale manufacture and distribution of unlicensed and potentially deadly weight loss products.
The MHRA described it as the "first illicit production facility for weight loss medicine discovered in the UK".
Officials said it was believed to be the "largest single seizure of trafficked weight loss medicines ever recorded by a law enforcement agency worldwide".
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: "This is a victory in the fight against the shameless criminals who are putting lives at risk by peddling dangerous and illegal weight loss jabs to make a quick buck.
"These unregulated products, made with no regard for safety or quality, posed a major risk to unwitting customers.
"My message is clear: don't buy weight loss medications from unregulated sources. Talk to your GP, seek NHS advice, and don't line the pockets of criminals who don't care about your health."
Andy Morling, from the MHRA, said: "These products are untested, unauthorised, and potentially deadly.
"By taking this organised criminal network out of operation and stopping tens of thousands of potentially fatal products from entering circulation, we've prevented a serious risk to public health."