Dealer of Fake Erection Drugs Avoids Stiff Sentence
On September 20, the Harju County Court handed a three-year suspended sentence to an erectile enhancement drugs retailer whose products failed to stand up to scrutiny.
The merchant was convicted of smuggling and dealing over 12,800 units of fake Viagra and similar drugs, both in Estonia and in other Baltic nations, through his internet-based company, Baltic Pharmacy.
Though the man avoided jail time, he had over 30,000 euros worth of his assets confinscated and will have to cover 1,700 euros in court costs, Tax and Customs Board spokeswoman Anne Osvet told uudised.err.ee.
The culprit introduced himself as the official distributer of Viagra in Estonia and claimed that his company, based in Sweden, had over 10 years of experience on the international pharmaceutical market.
The man sold 15 different male enhancement drugs, some advertized as originals and others as cheaper generic versions of the same product. For example, his e-store sold 10 doses of supposedly original Viagra for 128 euros, while an equivalent package of the generic version went for 35 euros.
"Pre-trial investigation revealed, however, that all of the drugs sold were falsified," said Osvet.
Ingrid Teesalu
