Costa Rican Fake Online Pharmacist Pleads Guilty in U.S. Court

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Ramiro Navarro Quesada, who was indicted in 2015, and extradited to the United States in August has pleaded guilty to charges he was running fake online pharmacies, according to a Department of Justice (DOJ) press release.

The DOJ reports that Quesada, who “used a Costa Rican website to advertise the Internet sale of Schedule II and IV controlled substances and erectile dysfunction drugs, which were exported from India and received in the United States,” pleaded guilty to charges of mail fraud and money laundering.  

Quesada used a Costa Rican website that was run by a co-conspirator to sell misbranded drugs labeled as Adderall, Xanax, and Viagra to U.S. customers, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.  No prescriptions were required for purchase and none of the drugs were FDA-approved.

Quesada’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for March 19th, 2018.  According to the DOJ, he could face up to 40 years in prison and/or a fine of $750,000.

The Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations, the Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations investigated this case.  Assistant United States Attorney Shardul Desai is prosecuting the case on behalf of the U.S. government.