Last Friday, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in Cincinnati seized more than 23,000 pills of Indian-made sildenafil citrate, the active drug found in Viagra.
The package was headed to an apartment in Decatur, Georgia. The shipment had originated from an apartment in India.
The CBP said that had the shipment been legitimately imported, its manufactured suggested retail price would have been $712,756.
Prescription drugs are restricted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and cannot be imported into the nation without proper documentation and labeling.
The law enforcement organization provides basic import information about admissibility requirements and the clearance process for e-commerce goods and encourages buyers to confirm that their purchases and the importation of those purchases comply with any state and federal import regulations, according to the CBP website.
LaFonda Sutton-Burke, Director, Field Operations-Chicago Field Office, said, “Protecting our citizens from inferior products with unknown ingredients is a priority for our officers and specialists.”
“CBP is entrusted with enforcing hundreds of laws for other government agencies, and our inter-agency partnerships are critical to ensuring the safety of the American people,” she added.
The FDA advises consumers to talk to their medical professionals about their condition and consider buying prescription drugs from regulated pharmacies in the United States.
Dan Solis said, “FDA is committed to working with our government agency partners to protect public health by securing the drug supply chain against counterfeit and unapproved medications that attempt to enter the United States from fraudulent sources.”
Solis is an Assistant Commissioner for the Office of Enforcement and Import Operations in FDA’s Office of Regulatory Affairs.
The CBP conducts operations at ports of entry throughout the United States.
It regularly screens arriving international passengers and cargo for narcotics, weapons, and other restricted or prohibited products.
