Second New Jersey Couple Charged With Selling Counterfeit Drugs

A New Jersey couple pleaded guilty to charges they engaged in the unlicensed wholesale distribution of pharmaceuticals, admitting they sold fake drugs manufactured in India to customers in the United States.

Nita Patel, 47, and her husband, Harshad, 53, of Closter, pleaded guilty in Camden, New Jersey, on May 16th, 2011, reported the North Jersey Record.

FBi agents began surveillance of Nita Patel in spring 2009, and contacted her in July 2009, authorities said. Nita Patel provided agents with list of supposed generic versions of products, which do not have approved generic versions.

Eventually, she and her husband negotiated the sale of more than 300,000 tablets of counterfeit drugs, including the erectile dysfunction drugs, as well as supposed generic versions of drugs used in the treatment of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, an anti-depressant, and an anti-coagulant, reported The Record.

A third defendant, Moloy Ghosh, 31, shipped the fake drugs from a business in India, until he was arrested with the Patels in the United States in April 2010. Ghosh pleaded guilty in December and was sentenced to eight months in prison.

The Patels each face up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing was set for Aug. 23.