A California man has been slapped with a two-year prison sentence for smuggling and selling a highly addictive drug touted as a cognitive enhancer from China to the US, officials revealed. Ryan M. Stabile from Pasadena was also hit with three years of supervised release and ordered to cough up a forfeiture of $1,833,922, according to federal prosecutors in Springfield, Mass.
The 37-year-old pleaded guilty last September to charges including conspiracy and introduction of misbranded drugs with intent to defraud and mislead. “Mr. Stabile knew how addicting and dangerous tianeptine was and yet it did not stop him from smuggling the illegal drug into the United States and selling it under false pretenses,” Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy stated. Stabile's operation involved misleading marketing tactics, selling the substance known as "gas station heroin" online as a mood enhancer and claiming it was for research purposes only.
“Misbranded and unapproved drugs that are smuggled from overseas can present a serious health risk to those who buy and use them. Tianeptine is an unsafe drug that is not approved for any use in the United States. All smuggled drugs carry additional risks of unknown ingredients and unknown manufacturing conditions,” he said. Stabile managed to market the drug through his company, Supplements for Work, primarily via internet sales.
Despite an initial indictment by a federal grand jury in November 2019, Stabile continued his illicit online sales for years, even while on pre-trial release. Through a different website, Ultra Vulgar Festival Drip, he blatantly disregarded the law. These dodgy dealings netted Stabile about $2.2 million, with the drug sales making up a whopping 95 percent of his company's profits, according to the announcement by Acting U.S. Attorney Levy and FDA SAC McMillan. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Deepika Bains Shukla, Chief of the Springfield Branch Office.
While Stabile's customers believed they were purchasing a mood-enhancing supplement, they were ingesting a substance that could lead to addiction and adverse health consequences. The bust serves as a stark reminder of the dangers posed by unverified and illegal online drug markets. More information on the sentencing can be found on the Department of Justice website.
