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U.S. Attorney: Defendant in illegal drug ring passed himself off as legit pharmacist
Douglas Reis de Souz allegedly claimed he had 22 years of experience and targeted the Portuguese-speaking community in Framingham.
Four people were arrested in Framingham on Monday and charged with running an illegal prescription drug ring aimed at the local Portuguese-speaking community, with one of suspects allegedly posing as a legitimate pharmacist, federal authorities announced.
Douglas Reis de Souza, 40; Dekny Marcos de Carvaleho Reis, 33; Dekmara de Carvalho Reis, 34; and Wandiscleia Ferreira de Souza Guimaraes, 41, all Framingham residents originally from Brazil, are each facing one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts said in a statement.
Reis de Souz allegedly posed as a legitimate pharmacist, doing business as “Droga Reis” and handing out cards in the community in Portuguese that claimed he had 22 years of experience as a pharmacist.
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“Don’t miss your work day … Indication of medicines for adult and pediatric use,” the card allegedly read in Portuguese. “Contraceptive pills and injectables, Injectable cocktail to treat muscular and orthopedic problems, Perforation of ear cells.”
The suspects were arraigned Tuesday in federal court and ordered held pending a Thursday hearing.
“For years, these defendants allegedly exploited a community’s trust to peddle black-market prescription drugs under the guide [sic] of legitimacy,” United States Attorney Leah B. Foley said in a statement. “They entered our country illegally and put countless individuals’ health and safety in danger, all for profit. If you or someone you know was impacted by this scheme, we urge you to come forward and report it to law enforcement.”
According to federal prosecutors, Reis de Souza allegedly imported pharmaceutical-grade drugs, including controlled substances, from Brazil and resold them in the Framingham area, allegedly filling and delivering orders placed by customers with Reis de Souza. A search warrant executed at the apartment used by Reis de Souza on Tuesday allegedly revealed an examination and consultation area and large quantities of controlled substances as well as non-controlled prescription and/or misbranded drugs.
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About 8 kilos of controlled substances and uncontrolled drugs were allegedly recovered as part of the investigation, according to authorities.
Reis de Souza is alleged to have collected hundreds of thousands of dollars in profit from the illegal drug ring.
Each suspect is facing up to 20 years in prison for the charge of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances; they would be subject to deportation upon the completion of the imposed sentence, prosecutors said.
The U.S. Attorney’s office is asking anyone who was a customer of Reis De Souza and suffered “adverse events” to contact [email protected].
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