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Two Summerville brothers have pleaded guilty for their role in a counterfeit pharmaceutical trafficking conspiracy that involved federal and state agents seizing more than $35 million in fake Viagra pills. Ibrahim Shedid, 29, and Ahmed Shedid, 35, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to sell and traffic counterfeit goods in front of U.S.
District Judge Bruce Howe Hendricks on Oct. 30. The Shedid brothers' part in the conspiracy involved their warehouse and a North Charleston smoke shop, according to court records.
The two men would sell and distribute counterfeit Viagra to convenience stores and other retail businesses in the area. They also sold the pills out of Big Boss Puff and Stuff in North Charleston, said Assistant U.S.
Attorney Amy Bower. Today's Top Headlines Story continues below He was a key player in New York's punk scene. His 36th album pays homage to his new Columbia home This historic Black neighborhood is surrounded by Myrtle Beach but not part of the city.
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Bower said the brothers knew the pills and goods they sold were fake. Disabled vet with nearly half-million-dollar salary told VA he was jobless. Now he has to repay $300K.
Law enforcement became aware of the conspiracy in June 2023 after the Shedid brothers sold products to an unspecified convenience store, Bower said. Agents seized hundreds of thousands of counterfeit Viagra pills, additional pharmaceuticals and other counterfeit goods in January 2024 that began with intercepted packages to the smoke shop. Law enforcement seized more items after searching the warehouse and a storage unit.
Berkeley County magistrate under SLED investigation still presiding over cases Bower said the brothers were not charged for other counterfeit goods and pharmaceuticals seized by police. Law enforcement also collected a small cache of fake NFL merchandise. Law enforcement seized a long list of male enhancement pharmaceuticals , such as Man King , that may contain Viagra's active ingredient and other substances.
Other names on the list of seized goods included WAP Watermelon Honey, Stiff Roxxx and Love. Bower declined to say whether the government had laid claim to any bank accounts for the brothers. Police seized about $1,500 in cash in January.
The brothers sold the pills at $50 a bottle, according court records . The price of Viagra, or its generic equivalent, depends on quantity and dosage amount. Some generic pills are valued as low as $4 a tablet, according to hims.
com and GoodRx . Bower declined to say where the Shedid brothers sourced their product from. In recent years, U.
S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcements have regularly announced the seizure of large quantities of counterfeit Viagra and similar medication used to treat erectile dysfunction. The quantities announced by those agencies numbered several thousand or tens of thousands of pills valued between about hundreds of thousands of dollars to millions. The source of the seized counterfeit pills came from China , Hong Kong , India and Singapore, according to those agencies.
Former medical provider for SC jail has 15 days to pay up on $1.5M settlement for unnecessary exams The seizure of the Shedid brothers' assets eclipses those other forfeitures across the country in volume of pills and their estimated retail value. The counterfeit Viagra seized in North Charleston tested positive for the active ingredient that makes the drug work to treat erectile dysfunction — Sildenafil, Bower said.
She said Viatris, the company holds the Viagra patent, confirmed the seized pills were fake. The pill bottles contained misspellings and the wrong font, she said. Fake Viagra that contains Slidenafil can pose serious health risks because of filler ingredients, according to the company's website for Viagra .
Common filler, or binding, ingredients include drywall, blue printer ink, amphetamines and an antibiotic known to cause diarrhea or vomiting. Agents from Homeland Security and SC's State Law Enforcement Division were present in the courtroom. The 9th Circuit Solicitor's Office assisted with the case.
Bower declined to comment if other charges were coming in the case. Federal documents in the case indicate the government is aware of additional persons involved in the trafficking scheme. A sentencing date will be set at a later date for the Shedid brothers.
They are represented by Paul Thurmond, Strom Thurmond, Jr. and other attorneys from Thurmond Kirchner and Timbes law firm. A magistrate judge granted both brothers signature bonds on Oct.
30 before the sentencing hearing. They are permitted to travel up and down coast for their business in coordination with their probation agents. They face a maximum five-year prison sentences and fines up to $250,000.
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