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Sussex Man Spared Jail After Selling Fake Covid-19 'Treatment Kits' Worldwide

A man from Sussex has been given a ten month suspended sentence and 170 hours unpaid work after admitting to making fake Covid-19 treatment kits and selling them across the world.

Police said Frank Ludlow, 59, of East Marden, Chichester, pleaded guilty to attempting to supply an unauthorised medicinal product, possessing an unauthorised medicinal product and assembling an unauthorised product.

Today (Thursday), Ludlow was sentenced to a ten month suspended sentence at Portsmouth Crown Court.

Ludlow was first arrested on Friday 20 March 2020 after a joint investigation by the City of London Police, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

His actions came to light after U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency in Los Angeles intercepted a package on March 18, containing 60 of the 'treatment kits' labelled as 'Anti-Pathogenic treatment', which were sent from the UK.

The MHRA were then alerted in the UK.

Less than four hours after the case was passed to the specialist anti-counterfeit unit within the City of London Police on March 20, Ludlow was arrested by police officers in a post office, attempting to send 60 more fake treatment kits to France, the US, and other parts of the UK.

He appeared at Brighton Magistrates' Court the next day and was remanded in custody.

Officers said Ludlow made approximately £12,000 from selling the fake kits online, which sold for between £1 and £100, but cost only £1 to make.

The kits contained hydrogen peroxide concentration of 6.5 % (v/v); potassium thiocyanate, ascorbic acid, an unknown enzyme as well as Bees Pollen.

During the search of Ludlow’s home address, officers discovered 300 more treatment kits and an estimated 20 litres of chemicals used in the production of the fake kits. 

DCS Clinton Blackburn, from the City of London Police, said:

"Criminals are preying on people’s fears and anxieties, using the coronavirus outbreak to take their money.

"The kits produced by Ludlow were unlawful and untested.

"They gave false hope to vulnerable people and their families, offering no medical benefit.  

"This raises the possibility that people with COVID could believe they were cured, thereby inadvertently exposing others to infection.

"The swift, joined-up action taken by police and our regulatory partners across the globe, shows there are no boundaries to our work in fighting fraud, protecting the public and bringing criminals to justice, even during these unprecedented times."

Tariq Sarwar, Head of Operations for Enforcement at the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, said:

"Making and selling fake coronavirus (COVID-19) treatment kits is endangering patients’ health and increasing the risk of contagion to their families and friends.

"This joint cooperation and intervention with the City of London Police and the FDA show our commitment to protect patients’ health.  

"It is important that people who put other people’s health in danger are brought to justice, and the products are taken out of circulation.

"Please seek advice from a registered healthcare professional if you have medical concerns, and only buy medicines and medical devices from a registered pharmacy or website."

 

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