Camden, New Jersey – A former Atlantic County man has been charged with smuggling misbranded drugs into the country and dispensing prescription drugs without a valid prescription.
Merwin Marc Snyder, 64, of Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Camden on December 9, 2015, for his alleged role in a scheme to smuggle misbranded drugs into the United States. Snyder is accused of receiving prescription drugs by mail from India and re-packaging them for distribution to consumers in New Jersey.
According to the indictment, Snyder allegedly received by mail from India various parcels accompanied by incomplete or misleading U.S. Customs declarations. The parcels contained prescription drugs, including unapproved generics that contained the active ingredients in the popular brand-name drugs Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra, as well as unapproved Mifepristone and Misoprostol. Snyder then repackaged these wholesale quantities of drugs into smaller amounts and dispensed them to consumers without seeking FDA approval to market these drugs or obtaining the necessary licenses.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates the manufacture, labeling, and distribution of all drugs shipped or received in interstate commerce. Snyder allegedly caused to be shipped 27 parcels addressed to him in Egg Harbor that contained more than 25,000 tablets of unapproved generic drugs containing Tadalifil (active ingredient in Cialis) and 28,000 tablets of Sildenafil Citrate (active ingredient in Viagra).
Snyder is charged with one count of conspiracy, three counts of smuggling of misbranded drugs, one count of receipt and delivery of misbranded drugs, four counts of misbranding by dispensing prescription drugs without a valid prescription, and four counts of introducing misbranded drugs into interstate commerce. He faces a maximum potential penalty of up to 20 years in prison for each of the smuggling counts and up to 3 years in prison for each of the other counts. All counts carry a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gross pecuniary gain or loss.
Snyder was located in China’s Jiangsu Sheng Province earlier in the month and deported back to the United States to face the pending charges. He is scheduled to make his initial appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Joel Schneider in Camden federal court and will then be arraigned before U.S. District Judge Noel L. Hillman.
The investigation leading to the indictment was conducted by special agents with Homeland Security Investigations, the Food and Drug Administration, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. The government is represented by Special Litigation Counsel Jason M. Richardson of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Camden.
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Key Facts
- State: New Jersey
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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