2 Twin Cities men charged with selling, importing fake drugs

The Twin Cities men allegedly sold drugs mislabeled as Cialis, Viagra, Propecia, Xanax and other such medications.

Star Tribune

Last update: October 7, 2009 - 11:12 PM

Drugs to treat erectile dysfunction, hair loss, weight loss and anxiety apparently are so in demand that a pair of Twin Cities men allegedly made a business out of selling imported fake versions of those drugs.

A federal grand jury on Tuesday indicted Nicholas David Lundsten, 26, of Spring Lake Park, and Patrick James Barron, 29, of Fridley, for the interstate sale of mislabeled drugs and for importing controlled substances. The indictment was filed in federal court Wednesday.

The indictment said Barron and Lundsten "caused the introduction and the delivery for introduction into interstate commerce of misbranded drugs," including, 3,600 bogus pills labeled as Cialis; 10,419 bogus pills labeled as Viagra; 340 pills falsely labeled as Levitra; 1,582 pills falsely labeled as Propecia; 39,288 pills falsely labeled as Xanax and 27,336 pills purported to be Phentermine.

Cialis, Viagra and Levitra are known treatments for erectile dysfunction. Propecia is used to treat baldness. Xanax is a sedative used to treat anxiety. Phentermine is a weight-loss drug. The bogus Xanax and the fake Phentermine are classified as non-narcotic Schedule IV controlled substances.

On Wednesday, Barron at first said he was not familiar with the indictment. When told about the allegations, he said: "I have no comment."

According to the U.S. Center for Medicine in the Public Interest, the sale of counterfeit prescription drugs is a booming international business.

The indictments are the result of an investigation by the FDA, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, with assistance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

JAMES WALSH

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