OHIO – A pharmacy technician and an alleged accomplice who sold Viagra and Cialis – which are often prescribed for erection dysfunction – were charged in federal court with conspiracy to distribute misbranded pharmaceuticals, officials said.
Zacresha Jackson, 39, of South Euclid, was employed as a pharmacy technician in the retail pharmacy of the Taussig Cancer Center at the Cleveland Clinic. She agreed to steal bottles of Viagra and Cialis pills from the pharmacy and sell them to defendant Mahmoud Mustafa, 63, of Lakewood, who re-sold the pills, according to the criminal information.
Officials said consumers purchased the pills without a prescription, without being required to consult a physician, and without receiving proper notice of the risks associated with taking these prescription medications, according to the information.
A defendant is presumed innocent, and it’s the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, officials said.