New Jersey man charged with trafficking counterfeit male enhancement pills and money laundering

NEWARK, N.J. – A New Jersey man was charged Feb. 27 with trafficking counterfeit male enhancement pills and money laundering. The charges stem from an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

Shuja Ali Syed, 52, originally from Pakistan and currently a resident of Iselin, N.J., was arrested by HSI special agents.

According to court records, Syed trafficked in counterfeit all-natural male enhancement products, namely Libigrow, Blue Diamond, Nite Rider and ExtenZe. Syed imported the counterfeit products from China, and sold them to undercover HSI special agents and other individuals in New Jersey and New York.

Syed represented the products as "all-natural," when, in fact, laboratory analyses of the counterfeit products indicated that they contained either sildenafil, commonly known as Viagra, or tadalafil, commonly known as Cialis.

Both Viagra and Cialis are prescription drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration and used to treat, among other things, erectile dysfunction.

From December 2011 through November 2012, Syed deposited more than $600,000 into New Jersey bank accounts and wired more than $1 million to China, all of which were proceeds from the illegal importation and sale of the counterfeit products.

If convicted of trafficking in counterfeit goods, Syed faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of $2 million. The money laundering charge is punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a fine of $500,000 or twice the value of the property involved in Syed's financial transactions.