U.S. border officials in Indiana confiscate nearly $10K worth of fake Botox products

Yahoo

20-03-2025

March 19 (UPI) -- U.S. border officials in Indiana recently seized a handful of counterfeit Botox products with a street value of nearly $10,000.
"These drugs can be expensive and hard to acquire in many locations, but cheap prices are not always the safest, especially when it comes to your health and well-being," LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke, director of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection's field office in Chicago, said Wednesday in a release.
Officials revealed that four boxes of counterfeit Botox vials were confiscated at an express consignment shop in Indianapolis. They added that, had the products been real, they would have fetched at least $8,500 on the market.
These seizures of counterfeit Botox are one example of our collaborative efforts to ensure the American public is protected from illegal and harmful products entering the United States. CBP urges consumers to only purchase these medications from reputable sources," Sutton-Burke added.
In total officers seized 14 glass Botox vials at about 100 units of the drug supposedly intended to boost self-esteem by way of physical looks, one glass Botox vial with 200 units in it and 1 glass Dysport vial equaling to about 500 units of the illicit substance.
Botox, or botulinum toxin, is restricted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. It cannot be imported into the United States without proper documentation due to scores of health risks.
"Unapproved products that you inject could seriously hurt you," stated Melvin Dennis, CBP's acting port director in Indianapolis. "They are manufactured in unregulated and unsanitary facilities with ingredients that you cannot be sure are authentic," he added.
Three of the four shipments arrived from the same British supplier with the fourth from Indonesia, according to CBP officials.
Meanwhile, two of the packages were destined to different Michigan addresses. The other two were headed to other residences in New Jersey and California.
Federal regulators have urged American consumers purchase any pharmaceutical from a reputable source particularly to avoid unknown and possibly hazardous ingredients, and ensure proper administering by a properly trained and licensed medical professional.
Last year, at least 17 women in nine states fell ill after getting fake Botox shots, with 13 of them landing in the hospital and one who required a ventilator.