Turkish nationals indicted on illicit medicine charges

Two people have been arraigned on charges they smuggled adulterated and misbranded prescription cancer treatments from Turkey and other countries into the US.

Turkish nationals Ozkan Semizoglu and Sabahaddin Akman obtained the illicit drugs and then used shipping labels to conceal the illegal nature of the shipments, including customs declarations falsely describing the contents as 'gifts,' 'documents,' or 'product samples' with no  or low-declared monetary values.

They also broke large drug shipments into several smaller packages to reduce the likelihood of seizures by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The drugs did not meet the FDA's standards and had not been approved for distribution in the US, said the agency in a statement.

In addition to the smuggling charges Semizoglu and Akman are charged with conspiracy to defraud the US and the FDA.

"This case shows that those who prey on innocent patients in the US, even from outside our borders, are subject to criminal prosecution," said John Roth, director of the Office of Criminal Investigations in the FDA's Office of Regulatory Affairs."

The indictment charges the two men with one conspiracy count and three counts of smuggling illegal drugs into the US. Each smuggling charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and/or fines of up to $250,000.