Gerrard Kaonga
Police have confirmed that they have arrested a woman who is accused of selling ‘fake Ozempic’ drugs on social media
A woman from Long Island has been charged with smuggling fake versions of Ozempic into the country and selling it through social media.
Isis Navarro Reyes, who also goes by Beraly Navarro, was arrested on May 1 and faces a slew of charges.
The charges include smuggling, receiving misbranded drugs, dispensing drugs without prescription as well as others.
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On her TikTok page, Reyes attempted to convince her followers to buy drugs like Ozempic, Axcion and Mesotherapy.
Ozempic is intended to be used as an as an injection to manage blood glucose levels in people with type two diabetes. However, some people have used it as a weight loss drug and it continues to be a divisive topic.
Reyes had posted dozens of videos from November 2022 through to November 2023 about the drugs and told viewers how they should be taken, potential side effects and how effective the treatments were.
She also told people that she could be contacted through an encrypted messaging app if they wanted to purchase them off of her.
One unfortunate customer in July 2023 of last year developed lesions after using some of the ‘fake Ozempic’ drugs. Her physicians diagnosed her with mycobacterium abscessus infection, an infection that is regularly caused by contaminated medications, medical products and medical devices.
The US attorney's office issued a press release about Reyes arrest and said if convicted she could face up to 20 years in prison.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “As alleged, Isis Navarro Reyes used her social media following to sell weight loss drugs unapproved for distribution in the United States.
"Reyes’s alleged unlawful dispensing of these drugs caused significant, life-threatening injuries to some victims and put all of her victims in harm’s way.
“Recently, public interest in semaglutide and weight loss drugs has skyrocketed, and criminals have sought to take advantage of this interest for their ends.
“With this, the first misbranding and adulteration charges brought pertaining to Ozempic, Reyes will be held accountable for her conduct, and criminals should think twice before trying to sell weight loss drugs without a license to do so.
"This case makes clear that extreme caution and physician consultation should always be taken when purchasing medications, especially on social media.”