Border patrol agents intercepted more than 40,000 illegal pills, worth a total of $12,000, destined for an address in Brooklyn Park.
Officers in Minneapolis stopped the package, sent from Laos, for inspection and on Jan. 11 found several types of medications, from anti-inflammatory pills to painkillers, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Some of the pills are available over the counter in the United States, but they were being transported in commercial quantities without authorization from the Food and Drug Administration.
The case has been turned over to Homeland Security for investigation, said border protection agency spokesman Steven Bansbach.
In 2019, the most recent data available, the border patrol made 1,779 seizures of illegal pharmaceutical and personal care parcels, worth about $49 million on the retail market, according to the agency.
Andy Mannix
