$1 million worth of Viagra seized in Louisville

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - On Wednesday night, Louisville’s Customs Border Protection (CBP) officers seized 500 bottles of Viagra, with an estimated retail value of $1.06 million.

The labels on the bottle said they were made in the USA, but those claims are suspicious as the pills were imported from an industrial company overseas.

“We see every type of threat every night here in Louisville,” Louisville’s Customs Border Protection Port Director Thomas Mahn said.

Mahn said Viagra is a common drug they seize, but it’s not the only one.

CBP regularly seizes drugs like fentanyl, meth, heroin, cocaine, and marijuana. Mahn says they also seize counterfeit items like jewelry, clothing, and electronics.

Some health items like Viagra don’t meet consumer product safety commission standards.

”For any commodity coming into the United States, we are the line,” Mahn said. “Once it’s past us, it’s in the community. So, it is very important for our agency to identify these threats as coming into the country and stop them before so they don’t reach the American public.”

In the past four years, they’ve seen health threats like Wednesday night increase.

Online shopping surged during the pandemic. Many people began buying products like vitamins and other dietary supplements from online vendors.

Dr. Ashley Webb, the director of Kentucky’s poison control center said some of those deals sound good, but you could pay the price.

”The problem in this situation is that they have gotten a dietary supplement that they think is going to provide the effect they want, and it may do so,” Webb said. “It may also interact with medications they already take. It could also exacerbate a health condition that is treated by their physician.”

Medications purchased from online sources can be improperly produced without pharmacological specifications and safeguards that ensure the protection of a person’s health.

Prescription drugs sold in the U.S. must conform to the FDA’s high standards, protecting consumers from dangerous irregularities in drug potency.

If you have questions concerning vitamins or dietary supplements purchased online, call the poison control center at 1(800) 222-1222.

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