Counterfeit Medicine News for the Week of September 14, 2020

Coronavirus Fraud And Counterfeits:

In Boston, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced that it has seized just over 20,000 counterfeit N95 masks so far this month.

The substantial seizure in Boston was dwarfed by Chicago CBP agents intercepting 500,000 counterfeit N95 respirators on September 10, 2020.

A distributor in Utah will stand trial for wire fraud after allegedly claiming falsely to be an authorized 3M dealer with access to millions of N95 respirator masks.

As prices on legitimate medical gloves have soared, authorities have discovered counterfeit nitrile gloves which may not adequately protect front-line workers.

The Better Business Bureau warned consumers that websites that offer preorders of COVID-19 vaccines are fraudulent. These scams have been reported in North Carolina and Kentucky.

As pandemic deaths in the U.S. surpass 200,000, the flow of counterfeit PPE continues. Now, authorities are reporting counterfeit medical gloves.

Other Counterfeit News:

Read the criminal complaint filed against a man who allegedly sold fake medicines on a pharmacy website.

CBP officers in Memphis, Tennessee found fentanyl hidden inside of a picture frame.

A Huntington Beach, California resident Damon Vincent Jobin received a 24-year sentence in federal court for trafficking 2.6 million fentanyl or fentanyl analogue pills to addresses in 32 different states via the dark web.

In North Carolina, Deandre Miles received a 95-month prison sentence for his role in a Greenwood, South Carolina-based drug trafficking ring. Authorities caught Miles with approximately 10,000 counterfeit pills made with fentanyl in December 2018.

Robert Dunham, a former firefighter in Mechanicstown, New York, received a sentence of nine to 18 years of prison for his role in two different drug trafficking conspiracies, one of which involved the sale of counterfeit fentanyl pills

West Chester, Pennsylvania resident Kevin Swing received a six-and-a-half year prison sentence for distributing more than 900 counterfeit oxycodone pills made with fentanyl.

The U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of Wisconsin charged a Texas man for allegedly using a fake online pharmacy to sell fake oxycodone and counterfeit Adderall and Xanax made with methamphetamine.

A man in Lawrence, Massachusetts has been charged for allegedly possessing and distributing counterfeit fentanyl pills. He was found in possession of 5,000 of the pills this week.

The Oklahoma Attorney General has added murder charges to the prosecution of three defendants who allegedly distributed the fentanyl that killed two Oklahoma residents. Law enforcement seized counterfeit oxycodone pills that contained fentanyl in the course of the investigation.

A 25-year-old resident of Minot, North Dakota was arrested this week in connection with law enforcement seizing 5,000 fentanyl pills.

CBP agents seized two pounds of fentanyl pills during a traffic stop at the Wellton Station checkpoint in Arizona.

In the last couple of weeks CBP in Memphis, Tennessee intercepted fentanyl pills in a picture frame as well as methamphetamine hidden in a turntable and in the linings of dresses.

Police in Oakdale, California and in MIssissippi warned about fake oxycodone circulating in the area.

Even as we are dealing with the pandemic, PSM is keeping a steady eye on public reports of dangerous counterfeit drugs. Check back for next week’s summary.