Guilty plea in smuggled ED drugs scam

A woman recently pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Providence to a charge of smuggling erectile dysfunction drugs from the People's Republic of China into this country. The drugs were falsely labeled as herbal dietary supplements.

According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Sandra R. Hebert, Anny L. Puello, 32, the owner of JMM LLC, ordered Durasex and Super Sense One capsules from the Chinese supplier Chengdu Kang Quan Health Product Company (CKQHC). CKQHC falsely described the capsules on shipping labels and invoices as "Cinnamon Extract," "Ginseng Extract," or "Multivitamin samples." JMM LLC packaged and distributed the capsules, with labels stating they were "Made in the USA," to various retailers and distributors in Rhode Island, Connecticut, and elsewhere.

U.S. District Court Chief Judge Mary M. Lisi accepted Puello's guilty plea. The Rhode Island Food and Drug Administration/Office of Criminal Investigations Task Force, composed of several federal and state agencies, had seized thousands of pills, pill-packaging materials that included a labeling machine, computers, and business and shipping documents in October 2008 from JMM LLC and Puello's residence. Puello was arrested in June 2010.