Police seize almost $2 million worth of fake Viagra and cigarettes in the U.S.

With governments all across the globe looking to severely punish counterfeiters in both monetary terms and prison time, we at Medical Specialists Pharmacy cannot understand why some people still risk it. However it seems the prospect of a bankrupt-inducing fine or decades spent locked up in prison is remarkably not putting everybody off.

It has emerged that authorities in the U.S.  last week seized over  $1.8 million worth of counterfeit cigarettes and Viagra pills following the execution of search warrants in the cities of Rosemead, Montebello, South El Monte and East Los Angeles.

The names of the perpetrators have yet to be released by police but it is known that a 42-year-old female  and 37-year-old male were arrested at the 9400 block of Ralph Street in Rosemead. Investigators discovered roughly $110,000 in cash at this address.

The arrests were made after police initially swooped onto storage units in East Los Angeles and South El Monte, finding 30,000 cartons of counterfeit cigarettes and more than 4,000 counterfeit Viagra pills, all believed to have a cumulative value of around $100,000.

Photographs have been made available by the sheriff’s department that clearly show small blue pills wrapped in paper that are supposed to resemble Viagra. It is still unclear what ingredients comprise these tablets comprise of but it is very unlikely to be sildenafil citrate (the active ingredient in genuine Pfizer-made Viagra tablets).  It could be anything from brick dust, to blue paint, or even boric acid.

Sheriff Det. Kevin Olive, who was involved in the case, said the investigation had been in motion for a year before and is still on-going. The two suspects now may face federal charges if investigators decide that the goods were imported into American with ‘intent to defraud the government’.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca said in a statement, “Counterfeiting and piracy impacts public safety by funding organized crime, street gangs, and even terrorism through the sales of these counterfeit products. Criminals engaged in counterfeiting products cost society billions of dollars in lost government revenues, foreign investments and local business profits.”

At Medical Specialists Pharmacy, we only supply genuine branded medication to our patients, prescribed by our professional team of GMC registered doctors, and dispensed by our Royal Pharmaceutical Society registered pharmacist.  Genuine Pfizer-manufactured Viagra is obtainable with or without a prescription, or we have other treatments for erectile dysfunction such as Cialis or Levitra.