TEXAS — A man who conspired to smuggle more than 26,000 counterfeit Viagra tablets from China into the U.S. was sentenced Thursday to more than three years in prison, according to the authorities.
Fayez Al-Jabri, 45, of Chicago, will also pay $15,066 as restitution and forfeit $47,750, officials said.
According to court documents, Al-Jabri conspired to smuggle more than 26,000 counterfeit Viagra tablets from China into the U.S. for distribution. As part of that conspiracy, between July 2011 and October 2012, Al-Jabri and his co-conspirator shipped thousands of counterfeit Viagra tablets from Chicago to an undercover agent in Houston, Texas, officials said.
Homeland Security Investigations submitted all of the tablets seized during the investigation to both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and Pfizer, Viagra’s manufacturer, for analysis. Both the FDA and Pfizer identified the tablets as counterfeit and misbranded Viagra.
Al-Jabri and Jamal Khattab, 49, of Katy, Texas, were indicted on Aug. 22, 2012.
On March 21, 2014, officials said Al-Jabri plead 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 on Dec. 3, 2013, to the same charges, and his sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 14.