TEXAS
Four men were charged with trafficking in pet products by using the false labels of Frontline and Frontline Plus products and distributing the veterinary pesticides to large retail outlets for commercial sale, according to an indictment.
The pesticides manufactured by Merial Pharmaceutical Company didn’t know about the illegal counterfeit products.
All known counterfeit veterinary products have been removed from store shelves.
The defendants were suspected members of one of the largest known groups of importers of counterfeit packaged pet products.
In some cases, the defendants allegedly imported the products into the U.S. under the pretense that the products were destined for use by charitable organizations.
An indictment unsealed recently in Houston charged Iain Nigel MacKellar, 58, of England; Lam Ngoc Tran, aka Mark Tran, 40, of Fountain Valley, California; Allen Smith, 49, of Phoenix; and William Humphreys, 58, of Laguna Hills, California.
They were indicted on July 9.
They are charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, mail fraud and trafficking in counterfeit labels, and smuggling goods into the United States.
Mackellar and Tran also are charged with additional counts of wire fraud, mail fraud, trafficking in counterfeit labels and smuggling. Smith turned himself in to authorities today and an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mary Milloy, the indictment.
Humphreys and Tran were taken into custody in Phoenix and in California, respectively. Tran made his initial appearance in Houston on July 29, while Humphreys is set to appear Tuesday in federal court.
MacKellar is considered a fugitive and a warrant remains outstanding for his arrest, according to authorities.
The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.