HOUSTON (AP) — A third man has pleaded guilty in a fake Viagra investigation linked to Texas and Illinois and thousands of pills shipped from China.
Federal prosecutors in Houston say Nasif Baqla pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit goods, to introduce misbranded prescription drugs into interstate commerce and to import such goods into the U.S.
The 26-year-old Houston man was indicted last August, along with suspects from Katy and from Chicago who’ve since pleaded guilty to conspiracy counts.
Investigators say the trio since 2010 conspired to smuggle counterfeit and misbranded pharmaceuticals from China, including Viagra. The case adds up to about 17,000 pills shipped to Chicago or Houston in bulk for sales in smaller quantities.
Sentencing details were not immediately released.