Canoga Park Man Pleads Guilty to Selling Bogus Viagra

A Canoga Park man pleaded guilty Wednesday to a federal charge for using Craigslist to advertise and sell counterfeit erectile dysfunction drugs.

Barry Ronnel Johnson, 38, entered his plea to one count of trafficking and importing counterfeit goods, which carries a potential maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

A sentencing date was not immediately set.

In a hearing in the courtroom of U.S. District Judge Christina A. Snyder, Johnson admitted importing imposter erectile dysfunction medication from China and India, then using an advertisement on Craigslist to sell the pills, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The probe began after ICE Customs Enforcement officers at Los Angeles International Airport intercepted a package in March 2011 containing more than 1,700 counterfeit pills being shipped to Johnson's home address.

Subsequently, the defendant sold 30 blue diamond-shaped tablets labeled "Filagra" to an undercover agent posing as a buyer on Craigslist, ICE officials said.

-- City News Service