Two Men Charged In Florida Over Counterfeit Ozempic Scheme
Federal grand jury indicts Indian nationals for smuggling fake prescription drugs into the U.S.
TAMPA, Fla. — Two men were charged in connection with a counterfeit Ozempic scheme on Tuesday, the United States Department of Justice said. The DOJ announced that a federal grand jury in the Middle District of Florida has indicted 33-year-old Swapnadip Roy and 37-year-old Vicky Ramancha. Both individuals are Indian nationals facing charges of conspiracy and smuggling related to an alleged transnational counterfeit prescription drug distribution scheme.
Details Of The Indictment
According to the indictment, Roy and Ramancha sold counterfeit Ozempic to distributors in the United States at deeply discounted prices. Court documents indicate that between July 2023 and April 2024, the pair obtained the fake medication from "unauthorized sources" located in China.
Investigators stated that Roy and Ramancha included counterfeit packaging, package inserts, pen labels, and needles designed to deceive downstream customers into believing they were purchasing authentic Ozempic authorized by the manufacturer. The scheme reportedly continued even after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seized some of the counterfeit products in December 2023.
Federal Response And Penalties
Roy was extradited from Italy to the U.S. and made his first appearance in Tampa on Tuesday. Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department's Criminal Division emphasized the severity of such crimes. "Counterfeit prescription drugs — especially common ones — threaten the health and safety of every American who depends on the integrity of our pharmaceutical supply," Duva said, a story we covered in Two Men Indicted for Smuggling Counterfeit Ozempic Into Florida.
Duva added that the defendants allegedly exploited people's health to pay themselves, stating, "We will keep pursuing anyone who seeks to deceive American consumers with counterfeit drugs." Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Murray for the Middle District of Florida echoed this sentiment, noting that his office does not tolerate bad actors corrupting the pharmaceutical supply chain.
If Roy and Ramancha are convicted, they each face a maximum penalty of 71 years in prison. A public warning was issued regarding the products involved in the scheme to alert consumers and distributors about the potential dangers posed by these unauthorized medications.
