Pakistani National Sentenced in International Counterfeit Drug Conspiracy

SHERMAN, Texas – A 52-year-old man from Karachi, Pakistan man has been sentenced to federal prison for drug trafficking violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney John M. Bales today.

Muhammad Aijaz Sarfraz was convicted by a jury on May 14, 2015 of conspiracy to manufacture and distribute controlled substances and international money laundering conspiracy.  Sarfraz was sentenced to 240 months in federal prison on Feb. 3, 2016 by U.S. District Judge Amos L. Mazzant.

                According to information presented in court, from March 2009 until Sarfraz’s arrest in April 2012, Sarfraz operated numerous illegal websites through which he distributed millions of illicit Schedule II, III, and IV controlled substances to Internet customers throughout the United States.  Those pills included popular prescription medications such as OxyContin, Percocet, Adderall, Ritalin, Hydrocodone, Xanax, Valium, Ambien, and others.  The counterfeit drugs were generally manufactured in China, Singapore, Malaysia, India, Pakistan, and Hong Kong.  The pills, which were made to look like authentic prescription medications approved for use in the United States, often contained incorrect active pharmaceutical ingredients or the wrong quantity and dosage strength of those substances.  No physicians or medical professionals of any kind were involved at any stage of the drug distribution process.  It is estimated that the criminal enterprise may have generated as much as $100 million or more in proceeds between 2009 and 2012.  Sarfraz was indicted by a federal grand jury on Apr. 12, 2012.  

                This case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stevan Buys and Will Tatum.