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Counterfeit Pill Pipeline Exposed
A Wisconsin pharmacist and a Nevada pharmacologist were arraigned on an indictment in Federal Court in Central Islip, New York, before United States Magistrate Judge Gary Brown. The defendants are charged with conspiring to supply at least four million misbranded and counterfeit pharmaceuticals to an illegal Internet pharmacy based in Costa Rica that catered to U.S. customers.
Marla Ahlgrimm, 59, of Madison, Wisconsin, and Balbir Bhogal, 67, of Las Vegas, Nevada, are accused of importing and distributing controlled substances and misbranded drugs, trafficking in counterfeit drugs, mail and wire fraud, smuggling and money laundering.
According to the indictment and information presented at the arraignment, from June 2007 through May 2010, Ahlgrimm and Bhogal allegedly arranged for the manufacture in India of millions of tablets of controlled substances, including alprazolam and phentermine, and prescription drugs, including carisoprodol and counterfeit Viagra.
The drugs were allegedly intended to supply an Internet pharmacy based in Costa Rica that catered to customers within the United States, including Brooklyn and Queens, New York. The Internet pharmacy used call centers and websites based outside the United States, but filled the orders from inside the United States using individuals who were not licensed pharmacists to bottle, label and drop-ship the drugs.
To facilitate the operation, the defendants allegedly wired money from Costa Rica to the United States and then to India. An indictment is merely an accusation, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case was jointly investigated by the FBI, FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations, and HSI. The case is being prosecuted by Senior Counsel Evan C. Williams of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney William P. Campos of the Eastern District of New York.
Ahlgrimm and Bhogal face serious charges, including importing and distributing controlled substances and misbranded drugs, trafficking in counterfeit drugs, mail and wire fraud, smuggling and money laundering. The case highlights the devastating impact of counterfeit pharmaceuticals on public health and safety.
Key Facts
- State: Wisconsin
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release ↗
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