Duo In Court For Dealing In £1.1m Worth Of Stolen Pharmaceuticals

In Court: City of London

A company director and a pharmaceutical dealer, accused of handling £1.1 million worth of medicinal drugs stolen from a lorry nine years ago, have appeared at City of London Magistrates Court.

Vincent Quigley, 67, of Daleside, Thornhill, Dewsbury and Kenyan-born Mahmoud Azizi, 56, of Princess Court, Bryanston Place, Mayfair will appear at the Old Bailey on June 16.

Quigley is charged with one count of handling and one count of receiving stolen goods on or before October 16, 2007, namely 1,620,000 Comtan tablets; 510,000 Lopressor tablets and 480,000 Femara tablets.

He indicated a not guilty plea to both charges and was bailed unconditionally.

The tablets, which had been stolen in 2005, were traced to a warehouse in Yorkshire on October 16, 2007 by a private detective hired by the loser, Swiss-based Norvartis International.

Comtan is prescribed to patients with Parkinson's Disease; Lopressor is for the treatment of high blood pressure and Femara is for breast cancer patients.

Canadian citizen Azizi was extradited from Vancouver and appeared in custody charged with one count of receiving stolen goods on October 16, 2007, namely medicinal products belonging to Norvartis International.

He was bailed on condition he provide a £250,000 surety, surrender his passport, not apply for any travel documents, reside at his recorded address and report three times a week to Marylebone Police Station.

However, this decision was immediately appealed by the Crown Prosecution Service and Azizi will remain in custody until a crown court bail hearing.