An Indian-origin pharmacist in Britain has been sentenced to 12 months imprisonment for selling hundreds of thousands of doses of addictive prescription drugs in the black market. Balkeet Singh Khaira, who worked at his mother's Khaira Pharmacy on the high street in West Bromwich, was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court on Tuesday. The court was informed that the 36-year-old sold the restricted medicines to be sold only with prescriptions at huge profit during 2016 and 2017, with the value of the pills on the black market estimated at over 1 million pounds.

'It is a serious criminal offence to sell controlled, unlicensed or prescription-only medicines in this way,' said Grant Powell, Enforcement Officer with the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority (MHRA) who led the case. 'Anyone who sells medicines illegally could be exploiting vulnerable people and clearly has no regard for their health or welfare. Prescription-only medicines are potent and should only be taken under medical supervision. We work closely with regulatory and law enforcement partners to identify and prosecute those involved,' he said.