An Arizona man was sentenced to serve 37 months in prison for trafficking in pet products with counterfeit labels into the United States.
Allen Smith, 50, of Phoenix, Arizona, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge David Hittner of the Southern District of Texas. In addition to his prison term, Smith was ordered to pay $867,150 in restitution and to forfeit $42,269 worth of illicit proceeds.
According to admissions made in connection with his plea, Smith was responsible for aiding and abetting the trafficking of over $1 million worth of veterinary products that were not manufactured for the U.S. market into the United States for distribution under false labels, including Frontline and Frontline Plus products manufactured by Merial Pharmaceutical Company (Merial) and Advantage and K9 Advatix products manufactured by Bayer.
Smith intentionally trafficked in the products to deceive retail stores and consumers into believing that the products had received necessary Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) authorization to be manufactured for and approved for sale in the United States.