Co-owner and co-founder of Gallant Pharma, Talib Khan who lived at Atlantic Shores, Christ Church, Barbados has pleaded guilty to selling improperly and misbranded chemotherapy and cosmetic drugs. In addition, he was charged with conspiracy to commit importation fraud, distribute prescription drugs without a license and defraud the Federal Drug Administration (FDA).
Khan, 42, was just one of eleven who were associated with his company and his arrest came out of an investigation into his company since August. The seventeen (17) count indictment indicated that he and co-owner Syed Huda, principals in Gallant Pharma allegedly imported and sold prescription drugs, intravenous chemotherapy drugs and injectable cosmetics.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) in the US indicted the eleven. Among the accused also include Syed “Farhan” Huda, of Arlington, Virginia; Deeba Mallick, of Arlington, Virginia; Anoushirvan R. Sarraf, of
Rockville, Maryland; Harvey Whitehead, of Troy, Michigan; Lisa Coroniti, of Devon, Pennsylvania; and Robert J. Sparks, of Springfield, Virginia.
In addition one of the indicted, Munajj Rochelle, who is a dual U.S.-Canadian citizen, is currently incarcerated in Montreal, Canada, on unrelated charges. Arrest warrants have been issued for the last three defendants, Robert Wachna of Ottawa, Canada, Mirwaiss Aminzada, of Montreal, Canada, and Patricia Durr, of Boynton Beach, Florida.
Representing themselves as a “Canadian” company, his company was based in Virginia and Barbados and is alleged to have distributed these pharmaceuticals not from Canada but from Switzerland, India and Turkey and were not approved by the FDA for use in the United States yet doctors, hospitals and medical practices across the country generated around US$9 million since August 2009.
Local officials said, however, that the drugs were not sold in the Caribbean to the best of their knowledge.
“He was operating an international business company and his products were supposed to be for local use. We tracked him down to Green, Hill, St Michael, Barbados but we were never able to locate him even though we tried Roebuck St., Bridgetown. We then heard he was arrested in the US”, said a Ministry of Health official in Barbados speaking anonymously to reporters.
According to the official, there are around fifty (50) Canadian pharmaceutical companies which operate in Barbados. The framework under which these companies operate is that they import the drugs and then export them all over the world. They are not for local consumption. Guidelines are also given to these international companies.
The official also indicated that the Ministry of Health and Barbados Drug Service are constantly monitoring international businesses to ensure that they are in compliance with all the relevant legal and other guidelines.
Khan pleaded guilty to all charges.
