The Republican Police of Benin carried out a major raid that led to the seizure of approximately one ton of counterfeit medicines during a targeted operation in 11 suspected stores within the Dantokpa market in Cotonou.
On the morning of Friday, May 30, 2025, law enforcement launched a large-scale operation at Dantokpa—the largest market in Benin—located in Cotonou’s 6th arrondissement.
Two Republican Police units—the Special Dantokpa Police Station and the 6th Arrondissement Police—joined forces to clamp down on the proliferation of fake medicines. The crackdown followed several weeks of intelligence gathering deemed reliable by the authorities.
Eleven stores targeted
Eleven targeted shops were searched, resulting in the discovery and confiscation of roughly one ton of dubious pharmaceutical products. The volume of the haul underscores the extent of the trafficking network embedded in a market that remains under constant surveillance.
These falsified drugs pose a direct threat to public health. Often ineffective, improperly dosed, or outright toxic, they are responsible for thousands of deaths annually across West Africa, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
In Benin, despite numerous awareness campaigns, illegal drug sales continue to thrive—particularly in Dantokpa, widely regarded as one of the largest hubs for the informal pharmaceutical trade in West Africa.
The country remains a key transit point for counterfeit medicines alongside Nigeria, Togo, and Ghana. A 2023 report by the NGO Santé pour Tous estimated that between 30% and 40% of the medications consumed in Benin came from outside the legal supply chain.
This police operation is part of the government’s zero-tolerance policy toward pharmaceutical fraud. The Directorate General of the Republican Police has already announced more operations of this kind in the coming months.