A delivery driver stole more than £4,000 worth of the weight-loss medication Ozempic from the pharmaceutical wholesaler he worked for, telling a court he was using the drug to treat an eating disorder.
Peter Daniel, 62, from Croydon in South London, appeared at Croydon Magistrates’ Court charged with theft after taking more than 30 boxes of the medication from Cencora Alliance Healthcare, the UK’s leading wholesaler of healthcare products. The court heard that Daniel, who had worked for the company for 23 years, was using the Ozempic for his own personal use and not for commercial gain.
Ozempic – the brand name for semaglutide – is licensed in the UK by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) primarily for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and to reduce the risk of kidney and heart complications in diabetic patients. It is not licensed for treating eating disorders. The drug has gained widespread popularity for weight loss, often prescribed “off-label” for that purpose, despite a separate higher-dose formulation, Wegovy, being specifically approved for weight management.
Beat, a UK eating disorder charity, has warned that semaglutide medications can be “very dangerous” for those with an eating disorder, potentially worsening harmful thoughts and behaviours or triggering disordered eating in vulnerable individuals. The court heard that Daniel claimed he was using the drug to treat an unspecified eating disorder, but no medical evidence or formal diagnosis was presented during the hearing.
The thefts came to light after customers of Cencora Alliance Healthcare complained that deliveries of the popular medication were missing. Prosecutor Michael A’Herne told the court that Daniel was caught on closed-circuit television taking Ozempic from different pigeon holes at the company’s distribution centre between 17 April and 5 May 2026.
Police later searched Daniel’s home and discovered 34 boxes of Ozempic stored in his fridge. The total value of the stolen medication was estimated at £4,080, with each box carrying a retail value of approximately £300.
Mr A’Herne said Daniel had been charged with the highest degree of culpability because of the “high-degree of trust” placed in him as a delivery driver. “Medication could be dangerous in the hands of someone that doesn’t know how to use it or prescribe it,” he added. Cencora Alliance Healthcare distributes around 2.5 million packs of medicines and medical devices every day to every NHS and private provider in the UK, operating 12 service hubs and delivering to more than 17,000 pharmacies, doctors, hospitals and health centres. The company is part of Cencora, a global pharmaceutical organisation formerly known as AmerisourceBergen, which employs over 51,000 people worldwide and reported revenues of US$321 billion in its 2025 financial year.
The surge in demand for Ozempic and other GLP-1 agonists – driven by media coverage and social media trends – has placed significant strain on pharmaceutical supply chains. Novo Nordisk, the manufacturer, has indicated that supply challenges may persist. Meanwhile, the MHRA has intercepted counterfeit Ozempic injection pens in the UK, with 369 potentially falsified pens seized between January and October 2023. Some counterfeit products have been found to contain insulin instead of semaglutide, posing serious risks of severe low blood sugar. The World Health Organization has also issued alerts about falsified semaglutide products. The shortage of legitimate supplies has led to concerns about hoarding by wholesalers, and this case highlights further vulnerabilities in the distribution chain.
Mohammed Bismillah, defending, told magistrates that Daniel had an “unblemished” record at the company and had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity. He asked the bench to consider a community sentence. Daniel, who wore a blue sports full-zip jumper and a grey t-shirt, spoke only to confirm his name, age, address and enter his plea.
Sentencing was adjourned for pre-sentence reports, a standard procedure to allow the court to gather comprehensive information before passing a final sentence. Under the Theft Act 1968, magistrates can impose sentences of up to 12 months’ imprisonment for theft offences. The case will return to Croydon Magistrates’ Court on 28 July.
