Customs officials seize astounding quantities of counterfeit Viagra every year.
Did you know the ED drug, Viagra, makes the list of one of the top counterfeit products seized by customs officials every year?
Although Viagra and its generic counterparts are more readily available than ever, fake pills continue to pour across borders all over the world. Let’s look at some of the places where fake Viagra is being distributed.
Great Britain
The Telegraph reported in May that $17 million bogus ED pills were seized in 2017 as “organized gangs try to flood Britain with ‘fake meds.’” The illegal influx of these deadly counterfeits has reached epic proportions; the country reportedly destroyed more than $55 million of these seized pills.
This is despite a new version of Viagra being available over-the-counter. British customs officials say there has been a 980% increase in circulation of fake Viagra from just five years ago.
Poland
Newsweek reported on the 2016 bust of the biggest laboratory to date that was manufacturing and distributing fake Viagra all over the world. Police seized 100,000 fake ED pills and another 430,000 counterfeit steroid vials in the raid.
South Africa
The Times Live reports that most customs seizures in that country are of illegal counterfeit goods. In fact, 82% of all the illegal items seized are goods, including shoes, clothes, and pills marketed for ED. In the first five months of 2018, there were more than 97 arrests. By contrast, there were only 16 seizures of animals, a practice that is frequently in the news.
Some of the seizures at the country’s borders included:
- January 15 — $4 million (rands) of generic Viagra, en route to South Africa from India.
- May 13 — $30 million (rands) in generic Viagra that was being routed from India to South Africa.
South Korea
South Korean President Park Geun-Hye felt the sting of embarrassment over the 360 counterfeit Viagra pills, The Daily Beast reported. A spokesperson said they were “intended for treating altitude sickness.”
United States
In California, the news broke that a local cell phone dealer had been selling counterfeit Viagra for ED. The illegal activity had been going on “for years” out of a storefront in Sacramento. Local reports said, “Unsuspecting buyers lived with unknown or harmful results, while Mayze (the dealer) pocked $25 per pill, duping hopeful customers and cheating legitimate pharmaceutical manufacturers.”
In 2016 U.S. Customs nabbed illegal counterfeit Viagra tablets that were mailed from China. Each package had a label from pharmaceutical company Pfizer, however, the products were indeed fraudulent.
The concern expressed by officials is that these counterfeit ED medications “contain harmful ingredients such as arsenic, mercury, sheetrock, antifreeze, and paint thinner, which poses a significant health and safety risk.” In March 2018, police arrested Maykiya Mayze and charged him with counterfeiting.
Counterfeit Viagra for ED Causes Real Harm
He points out that these counterfeit drugs can cause serious side effects.
Long story short: make sure your ED drugs like Viagra come from a trustworthy source.
You can learn more about how to safely order Viagra and other ED drugs by checking out our Erectile Dysfunction page.
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