Two Indian nationals residing in Dubai have been charged in the United States over an alleged transnational scheme to distribute counterfeit semaglutide products, with prosecutors claiming the operation continued even after the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seized counterfeit products and issued a public safety alert. A federal grand jury in Florida charged the two individuals with conspiracy, smuggling, and counterfeit drug offences. One of the accused was extradited from Italy to the US and appeared before a federal court in Tampa.

According to the indictment, the accused allegedly sourced counterfeit semaglutide products from unauthorized suppliers in China and sold them to US distributors at deeply discounted prices between July 2023 and April 2024. The products were reportedly packaged to resemble authentic products, including counterfeit labels, package inserts, needles,…