From The Mississippi Link Newswire
JACKSON – A Madison County woman will spend the next five years behind bars for selling counterfeit Viagra from a business in Ridgeland.
Alicia Ospina, 61, of Ridgeland, pleaded guilty in Madison County Circuit Court before Judge William E. Chapman III. She was sentenced to serve one year in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC), followed by five years of supervised probation. She must also pay a $1,500 fine, investigative costs, and court costs.
Ospina was arrested following an investigation by the Attorney General’s Office in cooperation with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Food and Drug Administration, all in partnership via Mississippi’s Operation Knock Out Knock-Offs Task Force.
During the joint operation, 26 search warrants were issued at businesses statewide. Every business was issued a warning letter to cease and desist in the sale of counterfeit pharmaceuticals. Follow up inspections show that the businesses have heeded the warning.
“We know that there are many counterfeit drugs like Viagra available through the internet and in stores, but we never get a witness to come forward to admit that it (bogus Viagra) did not work,” said Attorney General Jim Hood. “Some counterfeit drugs simply do not work, while others can contain dangerous chemicals.”
Hood said anyone suspecting they have purchased counterfeit drugs or other counterfeit products, please call the Consumer Protection Division at (800) 281-4418.”
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