Federal prosecutors say a smuggling ring based in Dubai flooded American pharmacies with counterfeit Ozempic pens trafficked in from China, then kept the fake weight-loss drug moving even after the Food and Drug Administration publicly warned the product was circulating in the U.S. supply chain. A federal grand jury in Tampa this week indicted two Indian nationals, accusing them of running the operation for the better part of a year.

Prosecutors identified the defendants as Swapnadip Roy, 33, and Vicky Ramancha, 37, both residents of Dubai. According to the indictment, the pair conspired between July 2023 and April 2024 to obtain counterfeit Ozempic overseas and sell it to distributors across the United States at cut-rate prices, undercutting the real thing at a time when demand for the blockbuster weight-loss and diabetes drug was outstripping supply.

The men face conspiracy to commit smuggling, conspiracy to defraud the United States, three counts of smuggling, and two counts of selling and holding counterfeit drugs for sale, in a case filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. Combined, the charges carry a maximum of 71 years in prison, though sentences in federal drug cases rarely approach statutory maximums.

Investigators say the counterfeit pens were dressed up with fake packaging, inserts and labels designed to mimic Novo Nordisk's real product down to bogus lot numbers. The Food and Drug Administration seized a batch of the fakes in December 2023 and issued a public warning to pharmacists and patients — but according to the indictment, the smuggling operation didn't stop there.

"COUNTERFEIT PRESCRIPTION DRUGS THREATEN THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF AMERICANS WHO DEPEND ON THE INTEGRITY OF THE PHARMACEUTICAL SUPPLY CHAIN," a Justice Department official said in announcing the charges.

One suspect extradited, one still missing

Roy was extradited to the U.S. from Italy and pleaded not guilty this week, while Ramancha remains at large, according to court records reviewed by Hoodline. The case has also drawn scrutiny in India, where Delhi Police's Economic Offences Wing opened its own criminal probe into the alleged scheme last year and later sought a lookout notice for Roy.

The Justice Department's announcement, first reported by Reuters and confirmed in wire coverage carried nationwide, lands amid a broader federal crackdown on fake versions of Ozempic and other GLP-1 drugs, whose soaring popularity for weight loss has made them a magnet for counterfeiters cutting corners on ingredients, dosage and sterility.

Federal investigators, including the FDA's criminal investigations unit and the FBI, are continuing to trace the supply chain that authorities say ran from manufacturers in China through Dubai-based middlemen to U.S. distributors. An indictment is only an accusation, and both defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court. No trial date has been set for Roy, and prosecutors said the hunt for Ramancha continues.