Drug Counterfeiting Ring Puts Men on Trial

Two Minnesota men were indicted last week by a federal grand jury after allegedly circulating more than 15,000 misbranded drugs to customers.

The indictment, which was the result of an inquiry by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigation, alleges that Nicholas David Lundstern, 26, and Patrick James Barron, 29, introduced and delivered falsely labeled drugs. In total, the indictment charges the men with consigning more than 15,800 pills misbranded as Cialis, Propetia, Viagra and Levitra.

Though all of the pills contained the active ingredients of the drugs they mimicked, the products were not made by the authentic manufacturers as purported.

The men were charged with one count of introduction into interstate commerce of misbranded drugs and one count of importation of non-narcotic Schedule IV controlled substances, for importing pills containing alprazolam and sibutramine, U.S. controlled substances, into the country.

If convicted the men face a maximum penalty of one year imprisonment for the introduction count and five years imprisonment for the importation charge. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. MacLaughlin.

To avoid drug counterfeiting, the FDA advises consumers to buy medication only from state-licensed pharmacies in the U.S.