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A8 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 14 april 2018
Canadian pharmacy fined $34 million for illegal imports

By MATT VOLZ soula, Montana, approved
Associated Press federal prosecutors’ rec-
HELENA, Mont. (AP) — An ommended sentences that
online pharmacy that bills include $29 million forfeit-
itself as Canada’s largest ed, $5 million in fines and
was fined $34 million Friday five years’ probation for
for importing counterfeit Canada Drugs.
cancer drugs and other U.S. District Judge Dana
unapproved pharmaceuti- Christensen also sentenced
cals into the United States, Thorkelson to six months’
a sentence that one advo- house arrest, five years’
cacy group called too light probation and a $250,000
for such a heinous crime. fine.
Canada Drugs has filled Canada Drugs also will per-
millions of prescriptions by manently cease the sale of
offering itself as a safe alter- all unapproved, misbrand-
native for patients to save ed and counterfeit drugs
money on expensive drugs, and will surrender all of the
and its founder, Kris Thorkel- domain names for the myr-
son, has been hailed as an iad websites it used to sell
industry pioneer for starting the drugs, under the deal.
the company in 2001. An advocacy group had
But U.S. prosecutors say urged the judge to impose
Canada Drugs’ business harsher penalties to deter In this Nov. 12, 2003, file photo, CanadaDrugs.com Director of Pharmacy Robert Fraser, left, takes
model is based entirely on future crimes. Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, second left, on a tour of the Internet pharmacy CanadaDrugs.com
illegally importing unap- “Counterfeiting oncology in Winnipeg, Manitoba in Canada.
proved and misbranded medications is a nearly Associated Press
drugs not just from Canada, untraceable and heinous cy licenses should be sur- said after the sentencing expanding in 2009. Can-
but from all over the world. health care crime,” Shabbir rendered. The group also that Thorkelson and Cana- ada Drugs continued to
The company has made at Imber Safdar, executive di- wants Canada Drugs to da Drugs jeopardized the deposit money into that
least $78 million through il- rector of the Partnership for give up all of its internet health and safety of Ameri- company’s Montana bank
legal imports, including two Safe Medicines, wrote in a domain names, including cans by circumventing the account from doctors’
that were counterfeit ver- letter to the judge. “You put ones not named in the plea Food and Drug Administra- purchase of the illegally
sions of the cancer drugs saline in a bottle, and when deal, to prevent the com- tion’s approval process. imported drugs before the
Avastin and Altuzan that the cancer patient takes it, pany from continuing to sell “As this case shows, Ameri- proceeds were shipped to
had no active ingredient, there is no evidence in the misbranded and counter- can providers and consum- offshore accounts in the
prosecutors said. patient of the crime.” feit medicine. ers need to beware when Caribbean, prosecutors
After more than two years After the sentencing, Saf- Canada Drugs’ and purchasing drugs on the said.
of struggling to get the in- dar called the penalties “a Thorkelson’s attorneys did internet,” Alme said in a The company and two
ternational company to slap on the wrist and an in- not return messages seek- statement. overseas subsidiaries
appear in U.S. court to face sult to the victims of Cana- ing comment. The case is being handled pleaded guilty to introduc-
the felony charges, Cana- da Drugs’ crimes.” Federal prosecutors wrote in the U.S. state of Mon- ing misbranded drugs into
da Drugs and Thorkelson, Safdar said Thorkelson in court documents that the tana, where Canada Drugs interstate commerce, and
struck a plea deal with should receive prison time recommended sentence bought another company the subsidiaries also agreed
prosecutors late last year. and that Thorkelson’s and is appropriate. U.S. Attor- for its drug inventory and to plead guilty to selling
On Friday, a judge in Mis- Canada Drugs’ pharma- ney for Montana Kurt Alme customer list when it was counterfeit drugs.q

Man linked to Toronto alleged serial killer identified

been identified after inves- or details on whether new detective has previously
tigators released his pho- charges will be laid until described as unprece-
tograph and appealed to the man’s next of kin were dented in size and scope, is
the public for help, Toronto notified. Police found the now also scrutinizing 15 un-
police said Friday. dismembered remains of solved homicides that took
McArthur currently faces at least seven individuals place between 1975 and
seven counts of first-degree this year in large planters 1997. There is no current
murder. In early March, po- at a home where McArthur evidence linking McArthur
lice released a photograph did landscaping work and to the cold cases. q
of a bearded, dark-skinned stored objects.
man believed to be an- Many of the alleged victims
other one of the 66-year- have been darker skinned
old landscaper’s alleged and of South Asian or Mid-
victims an effort to identify dle Eastern descent, and
him, and they released an they frequented the “Gay
In this artist’s sketch, Bruce McArthur, facing several murder enhanced version of the Village” area of Toronto.
charges, makes an appearance via video in a Toronto photo this week. On Friday, Police just charged McAr-
courtroom, Wednesday, April 11, 2018. police said they had been thur on Wednesday in the
Associated Press able to identify him. death of a seventh man.
TORONTO (AP) — A man victim of alleged serial They said they would not The sprawling police inves-
believed to be another killer Bruce McArthur has release the man’s name tigation, which the lead