Counterfeit Viagra Sold In Sacramento

SACRAMENTO, CA -- State officials this week said a Sacramento man was sentenced to five years probation for possessing and selling counterfeit and life-threatening Viagra. The California Department of Justice said Maykiya Mayze, 37, pleaded guilty to one felony count of counterfeiting earlier this year.

Mayze was ordered to pay restitution to Pfizer as a result of the plea, officials said.

The investigation by the state Department of Justice found Mayze sold the drug out of his cell phone business in the city, pocketing $25 per pill.

In 2016, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized several shipments of Viagra tablets mailed from China, one addressed to Mayze’s Sacramento business and one to his Antelope area residence. Both shipments carried the well-known “Pfizer” label, but both contained only counterfeit products, officials said.

Through a search warrant, TRaCE agents seized computers, the counterfeit Viagra pills, and counterfeit Pfizer holograms which made the Viagra packaging appear legitimate to purchasers, officials said.

Mayze was arrested March 2018 and pleaded guilty to the charges in June.

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