Thread: "Black market pharmacy" shut down

"Black market pharmacy" shut down.

By Norman Miller, DAILY NEWS STAFF
GHS
New! Tue Aug 28, 2007, 12:41 AM EDT

FRAMINGHAM -

A Medway man was running a "black market pharmacy" out of his Hollis Street convenience store, a prosecutor said in Framingham District Court yesterday.

Carlos Araujo, 51, also sold counterfeit Massachusetts identification cards complete with an official seal, as well as cigarettes without a tax stamp out of his Globo Express store at 40 Hollis St., prosecutor Michael Rubin said.

"He was running a black market pharmacy," said Rubin. "It was known around town that you could buy identification from Mr. Araujo."

Araujo, of 9 High St., was arrested Saturday at 7 p.m. almost by luck, Police Chief Steven Carl said.

Detective Matt Gutwill and Sgt. Scott Brown, both narcotics officers, were walking by Globo Express when they looked inside and noticed a man buying an item from a cooler behind the counter, according to an affidavit filed in court.

The officers stopped the man, who told police he had just purchased amoxicillin from the store.

Inside, the two officers confronted the clerk, later identified as Araujo, and asked him if he was selling prescription drugs.

"The clerk told Sgt. Brown that he did sell the items ...," said Gutwill in the affidavit. "Sgt. Brown asked Araujo if he was aware that he needs a (pharmacist's) license to sell medication like that. Araujo replied, 'Yes.' "

Araujo is not a licensed pharmacist, police said.

Araujo gave the officers permission to search the store, and they found dozens of pills, including pseudophedrine, an antihistamine; "Bactrine, an antibiotic; Nordette, an oral contraceptive, as well as other birth control pills; and dozens of unidentified medications. Most of the drugs were Brazilian-based, with Portuguese names on them.

An officer also found marijuana in the store.

The officers found a list of 20 different medications that showed Araujo bought the drugs in bulk to sell. The drugs appeared to come from Brazil.

Gutwill also found cash throughout the building, including $8,000 in Araujo's pocket, $14,000 in $1 bills in a plastic bin, and $2,800 in change.

Araujo claimed he was hiding the money for his daughter. He also said his entire life savings was $40,000 found in a lock box. However, police found a statement that showed he had $105,000 in the bank.

"Detective (Larry) Hendry asked Araujo if he pays taxes on the business. He replied, 'No, I have not paid taxes in years,' " Gutwill wrote.

The officers also found dozens of fake Massachusetts identifications with a state seal on them. Police found records for 172 applications for IDs.

They also found hundreds of packs of cigarettes without tax stamps.

The discovery was disturbing, Chief Carl said.

"It's not cocaine or heroin, but it is still illegal," said Carl. "People are self-medicating. Besides being dangerous, it's a concern to the community."

Police spokesman Lt. Paul Shastany said the items were being sold to illegal immigrants.

Police do not know how long Araujo has been selling the drugs and identifications but suspect it has been going on for a while.

"Based on the amounts of money, it shows he didn't set up shop yesterday," said Carl. "This was a continuing activity."

Although he was not producing driver's licenses, the identifications could lead to illegal immigrants getting legitimate IDs, Shastany said.

Prosecutor Rubin asked Judge Robert Greco to set bail at $50,000.

The arrest proves the department has to do more to build trust within the Brazilian community, Carl said.

"We had a successful illegal enterprise in the midst of legal businesses," the chief said. "No one told us about it. We have to foster trust. If the trust was there, and the fear wasn't. This type of behavior could have been stopped."

Araujo was charged with two counts of illegal distribution of a Class E substance, illegal possession of a Class B substance with the intent to distribute, possession of marijuana, possession and sale of unstamped cigarettes, the use of the state's seal for commercial purposes and the illegal manufacturing of identifications.

"I would suggest he has the means and the ability to create other identifications," Rubin said.

Greco set bail at $10,000. A family member paid the bail in $100 bills within minutes of the arraignment. Araujo is due back in court on Sept. 18 for a pretrial conference.

"This is just the beginning of the investigation," said Carl. "We will be working with local, state and federal authorities."

(Norman Miller can be reached at 508-626-3823 or at nmiller@cnc.com)


http://www.milforddailynews.com/homepage/x1365945744

This is in Massachusetts isn't it?
Good ole Teddy's state, good going!

I'll bet $20 he never comes back for his pretrial conference. If he's got a hundred grand in the bank and hasn't paid any taxes on it, he'd have to be an idiot not to go back to Brazil.

Originally Posted by controlledImmigration

Greco set bail at $10,000. A family member paid the bail in $100 bills within minutes of the arraignment. Araujo is due back in court on Sept. 18 for a pretrial conference.

"This is just the beginning of the investigation," said Carl. "We will be working with local, state and federal authorities."

(Norman Miller can be reached at 508-626-3823 or at nmiller@cnc.com)


http://www.milforddailynews.com/homepage/x1365945744

this is no problem for the illegals. they use his illegal products and they wouldn't rat out their fellow la raza to the gringo police.

so don't give me that we need the illegals to trust us crap.

I hope that guy wasn't too attached to his "life savings"!!!

There's a couple of little markets around here that also sell medications to illegals too. The little place right next door to our development does this, keeping the medications stored in with veterinary grade medications, in the same cooler as ice cream treats and within full reach of any little one who happens to reach in there!

But the following is really beyond belief!!

Our local Consumer Help reporter just did a story last week where he confronted a man who is nothing more than a "healer" from Mexico who was signing off as a physician on sports physical forms for illegals' kids at something like $15.00 per kid. In the guy's favor is the fact that he did not have the kids remove any clothing or anything, and performed these "physicals" which, btw, consisted of nothing more than looking into the kids' eyes, out in the open in his shop with the parents and whoever else right there, so there never was any deviant sexual intent involved.

It was a coach who noticed that the forms were not filled out the way a physician would complete them (terminology and such), no MD or DO after the signature, and he also put two and two together that the kids bringing them in were from families comprised of those he suspected as illegal aliens.

After contacting all authorities he could think of, and realizing that the time it would take for proper investigation was not on his side, he contacted the news station and they exposed this guy......and his brother who was also completing these forms. The kids also will not be permitted to engage in sports programs until they are given their physicals by actual physicians.

What was beyond belief was the blase' attitude the parents had about the whole thing!! It just did NOT seem to sink in the risk their children were at, if God forbid, they had some underlying medical condition that could have killed them if it went undetected.

Originally Posted by azwreath

I hope that guy wasn't too attached to his "life savings"!!!

There's a couple of little markets around here that also sell medications to illegals too. The little place right next door to our development does this, keeping the medications stored in with veterinary grade medications, in the same cooler as ice cream treats and within full reach of any little one who happens to reach in there!

But the following is really beyond belief!!

Our local Consumer Help reporter just did a story last week where he confronted a man who is nothing more than a "healer" from Mexico who was signing off as a physician on sports physical forms for illegals' kids at something like $15.00 per kid. In the guy's favor is the fact that he did not have the kids remove any clothing or anything, and performed these "physicals" which, btw, consisted of nothing more than looking into the kids' eyes, out in the open in his shop with the parents and whoever else right there, so there never was any deviant sexual intent involved.

It was a coach who noticed that the forms were not filled out the way a physician would complete them (terminology and such), no MD or DO after the signature, and he also put two and two together that the kids bringing them in were from families comprised of those he suspected as illegal aliens.

After contacting all authorities he could think of, and realizing that the time it would take for proper investigation was not on his side, he contacted the news station and they exposed this guy......and his brother who was also completing these forms. The kids also will not be permitted to engage in sports programs until they are given their physicals by actual physicians.

What was beyond belief was the blase' attitude the parents had about the whole thing!! It just did NOT seem to sink in the risk their children were at, if God forbid, they had some underlying medical condition that could have killed them if it went undetected.

Veterinary Medications? I wonder if they are selling Ketamine?

usdoj.gov/dea/concern/ketamine.html