Rogue Internet Pharmacy Owner Gets 48 Months in Prison, Canadian Partner is a Fugitive
On June 3, 2011, an internet pharmacy owner that solid misbranded and counterfeit drugs, as well as controlled substances, was sentenced to 48 months in federal prison. The other half of the partnership, his Canadian co-conspirator, is wanted by officials.
Manuel Calvelo, 37, a Belgian citizen, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and one count of conspiracy to commit drug trafficking. In his plea, he admitted that from 2005 to 2008 he operated websites that offered prescription misbranded and fake medication to US consumers, in violation of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, announced US District Attorney Jim Cross.
Calvelo, who was arrested in Costra Rica and extradited to Kansas, sold more than 40 prescription drugs including Depakote, Glucophage, Zoloft, Lipitor, Cialis, Xanax, Ativan and Klonopin. He sold these drugs without requiring valid prescriptions from doctors for these medications, which is violation of federal law.
“This investigation and today’s sentencing reflect the seriousness of importing counterfeit and misbranded pharmaceutical drugs into the United States,” said Patrick J. Holland, Special Agent in Charge of the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Office of Criminal Investigations’ Kansas City Field Office. “We will continue to investigate and pursue this type of criminal activity and to ensure the safety of the pharmaceutical drug supply.”
Calvelo’s business was international, with a customer service call center in the Phillipines and processed wire transfers via Western Union in the Phillipines, Costa Rica and the US. His website hosting service was first through an Overland Park, Kansas company, and eventually through a Columbus, Ohio company.
FDA agents purchased products from Calvelo’s websites in 2007, and then later contacted him, undercover, posing as a pharmaceutical wholesaler. In video conference calls via Skype, Calvelo admitted his role in the internet pharmacy scheme and explained how the operation worked.
Calvelo’s co-defendant, Canadian Jeffrey Westmoreland, 35, is a fugitive.