Federal prosecutors in Florida have charged two Indian citizens, Swapnadip Roy and Vicky Ramancha, over an alleged international scheme to smuggle thousands of counterfeit Ozempic units from China into the United States.
The alleged operation ran between July 2023 and April 2024, according to the indictment.
Roy, 33, appeared in a Tampa court on Tuesday after being extradited from Italy. Ramancha, 37, remains at large.
Both men face charges of conspiracy to commit smuggling and to defraud the United States, three counts of smuggling, and two counts of selling and holding counterfeit drugs for sale.
If convicted, each could face up to 71 years in prison.
Distribution network and FDA warning
Prosecutors say the pair obtained the illicit products from unauthorized suppliers in China and used fake packaging, pen labels, needles, and inserts to deceive buyers.
The network allegedly sold the counterfeit GLP-1 weight-loss medications at steep discounts to U. S.
distributors.
Court records describe an agreement with a Lakeland, Florida company in July 2023 and another with a Sanford, Florida firm a month later.
In March 2024, Ramancha allegedly arranged the delivery of roughly 11,000 fake units to an Ohio warehouse.
The conspiracy continued even after the Food and Drug Administration issued a public warning and seized fake units from the supply chain in late 2023, according to court records.
When a co-conspirator asked whether the FDA warning would disrupt a pending order of 60,000 additional units, Ramancha dismissed the risk and urged caution regarding client discretion.
Prosecutors also alleged that Roy used explicit threats to ensure product distribution within the country.
In a November 2023 message cited in court documents, Roy warned an associate to solve a supply problem immediately, declaring that he was not a friend and threatening extreme violence to force compliance.
The charges come amid a surge in consumer demand for GLP-1 medications across the country.
Gallup data released in July indicated that 11% of U. S.
adults reported using GLP-1 drugs for weight loss in 2026, up from 3% in 2024, with 15% reporting usage at some point.
Department of Justice officials emphasized that illegal drug distribution undermines the security of the domestic pharmaceutical market.
"Counterfeit prescription drugs — especially common ones — threaten the health and safety of every American who depends on the integrity of our pharmaceutical supply," said Assistant Attorney General A.
Tysen Duva of the Justice Department's Criminal Division.
Duva added that the defendants allegedly exploited people's health for profit and that authorities will keep pursuing anyone who seeks to deceive American consumers with counterfeit drugs.
Attorneys representing Roy declined to comment following Tuesday's initial court appearance, while federal law enforcement agencies continue their search for Ramancha.
