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May 21, 2008 7:57 pm US/Mountain
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Internet Drug Sting Once Again Involves Colorado
DENVER (CBS4) ―
A second person is now under arrest and charged in an international smuggling operation that involved prescription drugs sold over the Internet.
The latest indictment involves a 26-year-old Egyptian man who was in the U.S. attending a flight school in Florida.
Some of the Sept. 11 hijackers were Egyptian and attended flight school, but in this case it appears while no terrorism connection was found, there was enough for a federal indictment on drug smuggling charges.
Adham Nafea is charged with conspiracy to import and distribute controlled substances through the Internet. He was in the U.S. on a visa to attend the Florida flight school. That raised eyebrows and prompted the Department of Homeland Security to investigate.
"When a foreigner signs up for one of our flight schools, I think our government is checking them out totally and they have checked out my client top to bottom," Nafea's attorney Larry Pozner said.
Pills mailed from Greece were sent to an undercover address in Littleton. The sting was set up by Eli Lilly and Company concerned about counterfeiting of the sexual dysfunction drug Cialis and others. It was the second indictment obtained by the U.S. Attorney's Office in this case.
"It's a significant case because it shows that Internet pharmacies reach out of foreign countries all the way to places like Colorado," U.S. Attorney Troy Eid said.
The investigation found 500 orders for the diet drug phentermine for Colorado addresses. One Aurora woman purchased the drug over the Internet, but they turned out to be counterfeit pills. The woman admitted she provided no medical information and was never contacted by a doctor. It's a case that puts the spotlight on Colorado regarding Internet drug sales around the world.
CBS4's Rick Sallinger spoke with the flight school who confirmed the attendance there by Nafea and a visit by agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He said it is very difficult for a person from the Middle East getting a visa to attend a U.S. flight school these days.
Nafea was in federal court Wednesday afternoon and entered a plea of not guilty.
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