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Pharmacist Weighs In on Prescription Drug Bust

801 views · Published 28 January 2015 · 2:31 · Indexed 26 September 2026

Channel: WTVC NewsChannel 9 · 2015 · News & Politics

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One man remains in custody after Whitfield county deputies say they caught him smuggling a truck-load of medicine including Viagra. Investigators say the drugs are coming into the U.S., illegally from Mexico.

Whitfield county deputies say an E450 truck was packed with medicine last Thursday. From Birth control to Viagra and antibiotics, deputies discovered thousands in illegal drugs.

One local pharmacist says there's a pretty penny to be made off of counterfeit medication like Viagra. "Retail costs would approximate 30 dollars a pill. Even with counterfeit medication, there's a potential for a lot of profit," says Shane Miller.

A potential for profit, but risky for anyone involved. Deputies arrested the driver Diego Ocampo-Lasso. He's charged him with unlawful practice of pharmacy without a license and failure to register as a drug distributor.

While investigators haven't revealed where the drugs are being sold, Miller says black market buyers should beware. "For those people that are still reliant on paying cash for medication, it's an attractive option. Of course the principal danger for drugs that come from out of the country is that they haven't passed the rigorous approval and safety checks."

Without those safety checks, there is the danger of the unknown. "You don't know what's in it. You don't know what it's made of. You don't know if it contains even a fraction of the medication that you need," adds Miller.

U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement has placed an immigration hold on O'campo-Lasso. A spokesperson for the agency tells us that they will take him into custody after this case is resolved. 

by Mikaya Thurmond

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