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Sydney pharmacist to face court over alleged vaccine smuggling

gardasil injection

A Sydney pharmacist has been charged with illegally supplying a vaccine used to help prevent women from getting cervical cancer to China.

Katherine Gong, who owns Harmony Pharmacy and Wellness Clinic in Mosman, was charged with three counts of wholesale supply of a prohibited drug.

Ms Gong, 34, was accused of sending 2,400 Gardasil 9 injections to an alleged middle man living at a house in Sydney’s Olympic Park.

Once the restricted medication arrived, police allege the 31-year-old man exported it under a false declaration to Hong Kong.

When the ABC called the Military Road chemist, Ms Gong refused to answer questions about the allegations.

“I am sorry, but I won’t be commenting,” she said.

She again declined to comment when asked whether she’ll be fighting the charges and later deleted her Facebook and Linkedin accounts.

The drugs are worth around half a million dollars in Australia — but they are worth a lot more in Hong Kong, where they were only approved for use in April.

The ABC understands women in China still find it difficult to access the HPV vaccinations and it’s feared that the thousands allegedly shipped overseas could have already been sold on the black market.

Authorities uncovered the alleged misuse of restricted medication during a separate global money laundering investigation in Asia.

Police then raided the North Shore chemist and western Sydney house, where they collected a number of items.

The alleged bust involved NSW Organised Crime squad detectives, Australian Federal Police, Border Force, and the Department of Home Affairs.

Detective Superintendent Tony Cooke said it appeared Ms Gong and her co-accused were motivated by financial gain.

“The vaccinations were sent to Hong Kong in the earlier part of this year and we believe they have already been resold in Asia,” he said.

“We are advised that the value of these vaccinations are around $500,000, but on the black market they’re worth several times that.”

“This drug should only be provided to those who have a prescription and this is a significant concern for us — pharmaceutical drugs are dangerous and should only be used under the direction of a doctor,” he said.

Investigators referred Harmony Pharmacy and Wellness Clinic to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency.

Ms Gong and the 31-year-old man are due to face court next month.

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