Wolverhampton man jailed over £2m prescription-only drugs racket

More than 23,000 sleeping pills were discovered at the flat of Kieron Banks

A man found guilty of illegally possessing prescription-only medications, valued at more than £2m, has been jailed for five years.

Kieron Banks, 34, was also found guilty of intent to supply the drugs found at his Wolverhampton home in 2016.

More than 23,000 sleeping pills were discovered along with evidence showing Banks had received more than £2m from the sale of the medications.

He was sentenced at Wolverhampton Crown Court earlier.

An investigation was launched by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) after it was made aware a website linked to Banks was selling the pills.

It is illegal to advertise these types of medicines to the public.

Sleeping pills found included zopiclone, zolpidem and zolpidem tartrate.

He was found guilty on 27 January following a trial.

Crown Prosecution Service prosecutor, Ben Reid, said Banks had known the drugs were potentially addictive and could have harmful side effects, "yet that did not stop him".

"We will be pursuing the ill-gotten gains in this case through the Proceeds of Crime Act," he added.