KANSAS CITY, Kan. (WHDH) — A Kansas man was sentenced Monday to five years on probation importing and selling misbranded pharmaceutical-grade erectile dysfunction drugs from China and marketing them as herbal remedies for men, officials said.
Rick Shepard, 60, of Overland Park, pleaded guilty earlier this year to one count of conspiracy to import misbranded drugs, Stephen McAllister, U.S. Attorney for the District of Kansas, announced.
Shepard allegedly admitted to selling a product called Euphoric to adult novelty stores in multiple states through the business Epic Products.
He marketed Euphoric as “all natural herbal supplements for male enhancement,” McAllister said.
The product actually contained prescription drugs Tadalafil and Sildenafil, the active ingredients in Viagra and Cialis, McAllister added.
Shepard allegedly purchased the drugs from a supplier in China, repackaged the capsules, applied his own labels, and sent them to stores in Kansas, Missouri and Colorado.
“American consumers are put at serious risk when they are unknowingly exposed to undeclared active pharmaceutical ingredients in products falsely labeled as natural dietary supplements,” said Special Agent in Charge Charles L. Grinstead, FDA Office of Criminal Investigations Kansas City Field Office. “FDA remains committed to pursuing those who endanger the U.S. public health by importing and distributing fraudulent and potentially dangerous products.”
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