Two Vancouver residents might have avoided a hard time but will face stiff fines after they pleaded guilty to selling fake erectile dysfunction (ED) drugs – Viagra and Cialis.
Mohamad Fejvai Nejad (31) and Marissa Tettamanti (23) pleaded guilty to selling generic prescription ED drugs without a prescription. They imported cheap generic ED drugs with active ingredients sildenafil (Viagra) and tadalafil (Cialis) from Tehran. The two sold the pills to local buyers online.
Health Canada officials came across some ads on Craigslist and asked private investigators to make undercover purchases. Fejvai Nejad was also found to provide medical advice and warn clients to start with lower doses.
Fejvai Nejad and Tettamanti were advertising the pills as “always real, guaranteed.” They even warned that “cheap knock-offs” could lead to health issues.
However, they were actually supplying pills that could increase health risks without proper medical supervision.
Judge Patricia Bond said, “The drugs would have significant effects on individuals including the possibility of heart attack and death.”
Crown lawyer Michelle Ball said, “The victims who bought the drugs were typically older men, dressed in suits.”
“Fejvai Nejad was fined $6,000 per charge for a total of $12,000 and Tettamanti was fined $3,000 for each count, totaling $6,000,” according to North Shore News. The pair was also sentenced to two years of probation.
Fejvai Nejad’s lawyer said his “client only turned to selling the drugs after an autoimmune disease made it impossible for him to maintain his career working in sales and human resources.” The article originally appeared online in North Shore News.
