Illinois Counterfeit Drug Seller Sentenced to 3.5 Years in Prison
Fayez Al-Jabri of Chicago acted as a black market wholesaler, importing thousands of doses of fake pills from China for further distribution.
A Chicago resident has been sentenced to 3.5 years in prison for his role in importing for sale over 26,000 doses of counterfeit ED medication into the United States, reports the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Along with his partner Jamal Khattab of Texas, Al-Jabri purchased his fake medication from China, with the intention of selling it to US distributors, according to the DOJ.
The DOJ also reports that undercover agents in Houston ordered Al-Jabri and Khattab’s ED medication between July 2011 and October 2012, and received thousands of counterfeit tablets sent from Chicago to the agent in Texas. All of the pills seized during the investigation were submitted to both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the manufacturer for analysis. Both identified the tablets as counterfeit and misbranded ED medication.
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Al-Jabri and Jamal Khattab were indicted on Aug. 22, 2012. This year, Al-Jabri pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit goods, to introduce misbranded prescription drugs into interstate commerce and to import such goods contrary to U.S. law; one count of trafficking in counterfeit goods; and one count of introducing counterfeit drugs into interstate commerce in violation of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. Khattab pleaded guilty in 2013, to the same charges. His sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 14, 2014, reports the DOJ.
This case was investigated by HSI, the FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations, the Department of State – Diplomatic Security Service and police departments in Houston and Chicago. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant Deputy Chief for Litigation John H. Zacharia of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kebharu Smith and Jennifer Lowery of the Southern District of Texas.