Ivermectin, Hydroxychloroquine, Fake Vax Cards Seized At O'Hare

CHICAGO — Less than a week after Customs and Border Protection agents seized dozens of fake COVID-19 vaccination cards from the Chicago O'Hare International Airport mail facility, agents intercepted 41 more fake cards along with ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine on Monday.

Officials said the packages came from China and claimed to contain PVC sleeves and greeting cards. Agents told reporters they were able to identify the fake cards because of their "low-quality" appearance.

Packages were funneling through O'Hare headed for Seagraves, Texas, as well as Houston. On Sept. 27, workers found 41 other fake vaccine cards split among two packages also headed for Texas. Earlier in September, 19 fake cards were taken.

"These shipments are concerning. These were seized in just one night, and you have to wonder if this trend will continue," Shane Campbell, area port director for Chicago, said in a news release. "Our officers are ready and will stop this threat before it can reach the public."

Officers spotted the pills when X-raying the package, which showed "discrepancies" not consistent with the decorative beads it claimed to carry. When officials opened the package from China, they found a bottle of 100 pills of ivermectin. Another package from Mexico seized on the same day contained 32 ivermectin tablets and 40 hydroxychloroquine pills.

Both medicines have been controversial among doctors and health care experts as some people have turned to using the pills and tablets as treatment for COVID-19 despite warnings from health officials that they are not safe treatments for the virus. Neither the anti-parasitic nor the malaria drug is approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat COVID-19.

Since the pill bottles were mislabeled, they were turned over to the FDA, according to Customs and Border Protection.

"Our CBP officers continue the fight against these crooks who are using this pandemic to make a profit by selling these fraudulent documents," said LaFonda Sutton-Burke, the director of field operations in the Chicago Field Office. "I'm very proud that our officers are able to intercept these dangerous shipments and keep our communities safe."