A Costa Rican man pleaded guilty in U.S. federal court to charges of mail fraud and money laundering, on charges of selling drugs imported from India, in the U.S.
Ramiro Navarro Quesada, 41, was indicted in October 2015 on three counts of mail fraud and one count each of conspiracy to misbrand and smuggle Schedule II and Schedule IV and erectile dysfunction drugs and money laundering. Quesada was arrested in Madrid, Spain, earlier this year and subsequently extradited to the United States.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Pennsylvania reported Monday Quesada pleaded guilty to two counts before Senior United States District Judge Donetta W. Ambrose.
Quesada was arrested in Madrid, Spain, in early 2017. He was extradited to the United States in late August.
In connection with the guilty plea, Quesada told the Court he used a Costa Rican website to advertise the Internet sale of the controlled drugs, which were exported from India and received in the United States.
“This case is a prime example of how the US will use all available tools at our disposal to identify and apprehend drug traffickers,” according to Wayne Salzgaber, Interpol Washington Acting Director.
In the August 25, 2017 DOJ report noted the drugs were received by co-defendants Sylvia and Miguel Cruz, who two then mailed them to U.S. consumers who had ordered them through the Costa Rican website. Consumers were falsely led to believe that the drugs were “FDA approved,” that the counterfeit drugs were brand name, and that it was legitimate to distribute such drugs without prescriptions.
Sentencing is scheduled for March 19, 2018. The law provides for a total sentence of 40 years in prison, a fine of US$750,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.