According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York, a woman named Isis Navarro Reyes has been charged with receipt of misbranded drugs in interstate commerce and subsequent delivery thereof, dispensing prescription drugs without a prescription, conspiracy to introduce and deliver for introduction misbranded drugs in interstate commerce, and smuggling. She faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted on all six counts.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York, said that the woman, before her arrest, “marketed, advertised, and sold various misbranded weight loss drugs that require a prescription, including fake Ozempic, Mesofrance, and Axcion, to followers on social media,” notably on her TikTok, from November 2022 through January 2024.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York, also said that none of the drugs that the woman sold on TikTok were approved for sale or dispensing in the United States.
They also claimed that Reyes began selling the weight loss drugs on her TikTok page in late November 2022 and that in her videos she would allegedly describe her “personal experiences” with the medications. For example, she would, “in detail,” share “side effects and effectiveness” of the drugs that promoted weight loss.
In addition to sharing details about the weight loss drugs she was reportedly using herself, she also reportedly gave information to her followers about how often the medications should be used and how they should be taken or injected into the body. She reportedly even instructed her eager and interested viewers how to contact her using an encrypted messaging application.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York, said that in February 2023, a buyer, identified as only Victim-1, purchased 30 injections of Mesofrance from the woman on TikTok. She allegedly mailed the drugs to Victim-1’s home without ever asking for a prescription.
The woman allegedly sent audio messages to the buyer instructing her on how to use the drug and that she should inject herself every three days. The complaint further noted that the vials of the weight loss drug were covered in labels that “were in a language other than English.”
By July 2023, Victim-1 “began developing lesions” from using the fake Ozempic and proceeded to send the woman on TikTok photos of her injuries. The Attorney’s Office said that the buyer was later diagnosed with “a mycobacterium abscessus infection, which is frequently caused by the contamination of medications, medical products, and medical devices with the mycobacterium abscessus bacterium.”
When the New York Department of Health tested the vials of Mesofrance purchased from Reyes, they came back positive for mycobacterium abscessus. In December 2023, a sting was put in place to catch Reyes in the act. A police officer posing as a potential client reached out to her on the encrypted app and after several exchanged messages about Ozempic, the officer posing as a buyer was instructed to send $375 for the drug, again without a prescription.
Reyes sent off the package, including the drug with a Spanish label on it. That package was intercepted, along with packages containing fake Axcion and Ozempic that were being sent to Reyes from Mexico and El Salvador. Police say they haven’t determined whether the Ozempic was counterfeit, however.
According to the Attorney’s Office, after Reyes was arrested, she was interviewed by police on February 15, 2024, where the woman allegedly admitted to selling fake products on TikTok for a year, selling Ozempic five times in the past (which allegedly caused a buyer to develop lesions), and giving money to someone who was selling her Ozempic from El Salvador. She also allegedly admitted to purchasing Mesofrance on Facebook and then stopping sales because she knew it was illegal and was aware that it was illegal to sell drugs to anyone without a prescription and medical license and background.
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
Welcome to NewsBreak, an open platform where diverse perspectives converge. Most of our content comes from established publications and journalists, as well as from our extensive network of tens of thousands of creators who contribute to our platform. We empower individuals to share insightful viewpoints through short posts and comments. It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency: our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. We strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation. Join us in shaping the news narrative together.
Most Popular
Comments / 0