Customs officers have arrested the mastermind of a syndicate distributing counterfeit drugs smuggled from the Mainland.

Yesterday's operation saw 60,000 counterfeit-drug tablets worth $2.7 million seized, including anti-impotence drugs and antidepressants, and sleeping and slimming pills. The syndicate's 67-year-old mastermind was also arrested.

The gang smuggled the goods from the Mainland and stored them in a Mong Kok flat. It packed the counterfeits to look like the genuine products, claiming they were parallel imports and distributing them to local dispensaries through dealers.