Palmer Man Sentenced for Importing Drugs from Pakistan

Harry Aliengena, 65, of Palmer, Massachusetts, is headed to federal prison for running a cross-border scheme to flood the U.S. with unregulated prescription drugs shipped directly from Pakistan. The 65-year-old admitted to conspiring to import controlled substances including Ritalin, Percocet, Hydrocodone, Adderall, and Restoril—powerful narcotics tightly controlled by the DEA.

Aliengena was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni to two years behind bars, followed by three years of supervised release. The penalty comes after Aliengena pleaded guilty in November 2017 to one count of conspiracy to import controlled substances, two felony counts of introducing misbranded drugs with intent to defraud, and one misdemeanor count of introducing misbranded drugs.

Between July 2011 and June 2012, Aliengena maintained regular contact with a pharmaceutical supplier in Pakistan. He placed bulk orders for prescription medications not legally obtainable without a valid U.S. prescription—and without FDA oversight. The operation wasn’t just personal use; he reshipped portions to American customers acting as a middleman for the foreign company.

In return for distributing the illicit drugs, Aliengena received payments and kickbacks in the form of discounted medications for himself. The arrangement turned him into a key node in an underground supply chain funneling dangerous, unapproved drugs into communities across the United States. None of the shipments were registered, inspected, or authorized by any U.S. health agency.

The case was announced by United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling, Jeffrey Ebersole, Special Agent in Charge of the FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations in New York, and Michael Shea, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston. Federal authorities dismantled the scheme through coordinated surveillance and international tracing of drug parcels.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Deepika Bains Shukla of Lelling’s Springfield Branch Office prosecuted the case. The conviction underscores ongoing federal efforts to crack down on transnational drug networks—even when they operate through mail and personal networks rather than traditional trafficking routes.

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