Two Indian citizens charged in US with smuggling counterfeit Ozempic — CNBC

Two Indian citizens have been charged in the United States over the alleged smuggling of counterfeit Ozempic from China. As CNBC Top News reports, the US Department of Justice said the scheme allegedly continued even after the US Food and Drug Administration seized some of the fake drugs in 2023 and warned the public.

Charges in Florida

Thirty-three-year-old Swapnadeep Roy was extradited from Italy. On Tuesday, he appeared for the first time before a US district court in Tampa, Florida. The second defendant, 37-year-old Vicky Ramancha, remains at large.

According to the US Department of Justice, Roy and Ramancha are charged with conspiracy to smuggle and defraud the United States, three counts of smuggling, and two counts of selling and possessing counterfeit drugs for sale. If convicted, each faces up to 71 years in prison.

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Alleged scheme

Court documents state that from July 2023 to April 2024, the defendants allegedly received counterfeit Ozempic from unauthorized suppliers in China. The department alleges that they and their alleged co-conspirators distributed counterfeit packaging, package inserts, pen labels and needles to create the impression among buyers that the drug was genuine and approved by the manufacturer.

The case is being considered amid the growing popularity in the United States of GLP-1 drugs, including Ozempic, for weight loss. According to Gallup data released in July, 11% of US adults reported taking such medicines for weight loss in 2026, compared with 3% in 2024. Another 15% of respondents said they had ever used these drugs for weight loss.

Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division of the US Department of Justice A. Tysen Duva said counterfeit prescription drugs pose a threat to the health and safety of people who rely on the reliability of the pharmaceutical supply.