LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer said today his office has secured a court order requiring an alleged illegal pharmaceutical dealer operating in Koreatown to pay restitution and wear a GPS monitor for the next 360 days.
“No one should ever buy pharmaceuticals on the sidewalk. Who knows if the medication is authentic, is even allowed to be sold here, or worse, been laced with an ingredient that could kill you?'' Feuer said. “This case highlights our continuing focus on stopping the sale of dangerous illegal pharmaceuticals in our communities.''
Feuer alleges that Martha Siguenza and Maria Gomez Lopez, who are not licensed health care providers, sold pharmaceuticals on the sidewalk in front of Jons Marketplace, at 3668 W. Third St. in Koreatown.
Siguenza has been prosecuted by Feuer's office four times, and during her most recent arrest in December 2020, she allegedly possessed 38 blue, diamond-shaped erectile dysfunction pills, which Feuer's office said may have been Viagra. Lopez, who Feuer said has been prosecuted by his office twice in the past three years, was also arrested. She allegedly possessed 500 pharmaceuticals, including antibiotics and the injectables Dolo-Neurobion and Bedoyecta Tri.
Under the court order obtained by Feuer's office, Siguenza, who pleaded no contest on April 22, will testify against Lopez, provide $1,546 in restitution to her victims and wear a GPS monitor for 360 days to ensure that she stays 100 yards away from Jons Marketplace. She is also prohibited from selling any items from a push cart, possessing prescription drugs without a prescription in her name and buying or possessing any counterfeit goods. Charges will be dismissed if she completes the terms, but if the terms are violated, she faces a 360-day sentence in county jail, Feuer's office said.
Feuer urged Angelenos to use free and low-cost clinics instead of illegal pharmaceutical dealers.
“Consumers also play a key role,'' he said. “They should never take this risk in the first place -- both for their sakes, and the sake of others. Taking antibacterial medications improperly and without a prescription, for example, can contribute to antibiotic resistance which threatens all of us. If you need medicine, go to a licensed pharmacy, your doctor or a free or low-cost clinic.''
A list of clinics in Los Angeles can be found atwww.lacityattorney.org/health-clinics.
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