TEXAS – A 26-year-old man pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiring to smuggle and to traffic in counterfeit and falsely labeled pharmaceuticals, including Viagra tablets, from China, federal officials said.
Nasif Baqla, of Houston, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to one count of conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit goods, to introduce falsely labeled prescription drugs into interstate commerce and to import such goods contrary to U.S. law.
Baqla was indicted on Aug. 22, 2012, along with two other individuals – Jamal Khattab, 49, of Katy, Texas, and Fayez Al-Jabri, 45, of Chicago – in a separate, but related case.
Khattab and Al-Jabri each pleaded guilty on Dec. 3 and March 21, respectively, to conspiracy along with trafficking in counterfeit goods and introducing counterfeit drugs into interstate commerce in violation of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.
According to court documents, a package of counterfeit Viagra tablets was shipped from China to Houston in 2010 intended for Baqla and Khattab.
The package was intercepted by Customs and Border Protection officers.
Court documents indicated that Baqla claimed the pills were his and that he received them for a friend.
Although the tablets were marked with trademarks substantially indistinguishable from the genuine marking on a legitimate Viagra pill, the drugs in the package were counterfeit and falsely labeled.