Christopher McGuire, who was accused of causing a national panic by placing anti-psychotic drugs inside packets of the painkiller Nurofen Plus has now been convicted and jailed for 18 months. He used to replace empty boxes of the popular painkiller with blister packs of Seroquel XL, and then swapped them with new packets at pharmacies. This allowed him to walk off with a replenished supply of the painkilling tablets. Seroquel XL is a powerful drug used to treat schizophrenia.

This issue came into limelight after the drug maker Reckitt Benckiser found that several batches of its Nurofen Plus contained the wrong drug. The company then called a nationwide recall of the product and issued an investigation in the matter.

Earlier, it was suggested that it was a problems related to warehouse mix-up, but later found out that it was done as a part of a scheme by Mr. McGuire. He created a distraction by trying to pay with a card he knew would be declined and then discreetly swapped the packets and walked away.

It is believed that McGuire could have saved just £7 due to his actions but it ended up costing the company £2.5 million.