Osaka gangster busted for selling fake Viagra

TOKYO (TR) – Osaka Prefectural Police on Friday announced the arrest of six suspects, including a member of organized crime, for selling imitation Viagra on the Internet, reports the Mainichi Shimbun (Feb. 23).

Officers took Junichi Tamura, 51, a boss within the Azuma-gumi criminal syndicate, and five other affiliate members, aged between 30 and 43, into custody for allegedly selling three fake versions of the erectile dysfunction remedy starting in the fall of 2011 — a violation of trademark laws and the Pharmaceutical Affairs Law.

Tamura, a resident of Osaka, has reportedly denied the allegations. “I did not participate,” the suspect is quoted by police.

In July of last year, one 41-year-old male is alleged to have bought six tablets for 9,400 yen.

The pills were smuggled into Japan from China and are very similar in content to the real product manufactured by pharmaceutical company Pfizer, police said.

According to Sports Nippon (Feb. 22), investigators have confirmed that 28 million yen was sent to the accounts of the suspects by 1,700 customers across Japan.

Investigators are now attempting to determine if the money raised was being used as a source of income for the Azuma-gumi.