Thread: Owner of Latino stores to be deported

http://www.olathedailynews.com/News_photo/News4.shtml

Owner of Latino stores to be deported
By Sarah St. John,The Olathe News

An Olathe man who owns a string of Latino grocery stores will be deported to Mexico and forced to pay $18,000 as punishment for selling illegal medicine in his stores.

Samuel Morones-Perales, 38, owns Latino Y Punto stores in Kansas and Missouri. The Olathe location is at 217 S. Kansas Ave.

Morones-Perales, an illegal immigrant, was charged in U.S. District Court on June 6 with introduction of an unapproved new drug into interstate commerce, misbranding drugs and receiving drugs that were labeled in Spanish, not English, which is a violation of the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.

He was sentenced in federal court Monday.

“Within 30 days, Samuel Morones-Perales must leave the United States,” U.S. Attorney Eric Melgren said in a statement Tuesday. “As a convicted felon, he is prohibited from returning to this country.”

Morones-Perales pleaded guilty July 11 to all three counts with which he was charged.

In the first count against him, Morones-Perales admitted to selling Neo-Melubrina, used for muscular pain relief and fever, and Nordinet, used for relieving headaches and muscular and arthritis pain. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned Neo-Melubrina in 1977 because of its potentially fatal side effects, and it banned Nordinet in 1999 because it contained a possible carcinogen.

Under his second charge, Morones-Perales pleaded guilty to selling two prescription drugs without a prescription. The drugs were imported from Mexico.

The final charge to which Morones-Perales admitted states that he received in interstate commerce drugs that were labeled in Spanish, not English.

The $18,000 Morones-Perales has been ordered to pay represents the profits he got from selling drugs that were misbranded and not approved by the FDA.

The charges against him came after investigation by the FDA and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“Within 30 days, Samuel Morones-Perales must leave the United States,” U.S. Attorney Eric Melgren said in a statement Tuesday. “As a convicted felon, he is prohibited from returning to this country.”

That's it, no prison time? I would suggest that deportation is not punishment enough for a crime of this magnitude. Hopefully, this dude lost all his money and assets to the federal government.

If he is to leave the country within 30 days this would led you to believe that it is up to him to leave on his own.

Owner of a "Latino" store? The Italians,Spaniards,French,Romanians and Portugueses are the Latino and nobody else.
Now when it comes to this medications which he was selling it must be noted that he is a drop in the bucket of this racket.
In fact in every "Ibero-Indian" neighborhood, there are numerous stores where these "medications" are sold and many more made here or imported from their Countries of origin and used widely.Many ot these stores have strange names like "Botanica".
If the government is serious enough all these underground and openly fuctioning stores under various disguises wouild not exist.
Arresting one person doesn't make that much of a difference as there is a huge market despite the potential for serious side effect of these product.

Hopefully, this dude lost all his money and assets to the federal government.

It happens to Americans, as it should...but I wonder if they will get a "free pass" on this like everything else.


And if its left up to him to leave on his own...doubt that will happen!