HOUSTON RESIDENT CONVICTED OF TRAFFICKING IN FAKE PRESCRIPTION DRUGS

(HOUSTON) - En Wang, 32,  the owner of Houston-based Jiao Long USA Inc., has been convicted of conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit drugs and causing the introduction of counterfeit and misbranded drugs into interstate commerce, United States Attorney José Angel Moreno announced today. The jury returned its verdicts of guilty on all four counts yesterday afternoon after less than four hours of deliberation.

Wang was charged in a four-count indictment in February 2010 with conspiring with others in the Peoples Republic of China to traffic in counterfeit goods and trafficking in counterfeit and misbranded pharmaceuticals. 

During the two-day trial, the jury heard evidence that two packages containing approximately 6500 loose Viagra tablets were seized at a mail facility in San Francisco, Calif., in early January 2010. The loose Viagra tablets, which did not have any prescription form inside and did not have any instructions for use, were in plastic bags and hidden inside a shoe box and a small box. The labeling affixed to the packages indicated they were being sent to a Ken Wang on Ashford Chase Drive in Houston.

An agent with Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) testified that he was notified of the seizure by an officer with Customs and Border Protection assigned to the San Francisco mail facility. Trial testimony revealed that a person named En Wang with the same Ashford Chase Drive address had recently returned to the United States on an international flight that originated from China. An inspection of Wang’s luggage revealed he had a large amount of Viagra tablets hidden in a calcium bottle. After obtaining a search warrant for Wang’s residence, the agent coordinated a controlled delivery of the two packages containing the Viagra tablets on Jan. 13, 2010. After Wang signed for the packages using the name Ken Wang, agents searched the residence and found 300 additional loose Viagra tablets. A chemist employed by Pfizer Pharmacueticals Inc., the manufacturer of Viagra, testified the Viagra tablets in the two packages as well as the tablets found inside Wang’s residence were counterfeit and contained a substance used to manufacture sheetrock. A chemist employed by the Food and Drug Administration further testified that the Viagra tablets contained less than the active ingredient listed for Viagra. Viagra is a prescription drug that is approved by the FDA for erectile dysfunction

Wang is scheduled for sentencing on Jan. 18, 2011, at which time he faces up to 10 years in prison and $250,000 fine. This case was investigated by ICE-HSI, the Food and Drug Administration - Office of Criminal Investigation and the United States Postal Inspection Service. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Samuel Louis and Andino Reynal.

 

 

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