By Lisa Redmond,
lredmond@lowellsun.com
Lowell Sun (Mass., USA)
LOWELL -- A 54-year-old Lowell woman was arrested yesterday after local and federal officials raided a Middlesex Street apartment and seized 13,000 illegal weight-loss pills pulled from the market 10 years ago due to harmful health effects.
Sophan Tath was released on personal recognizance from Lowell District Court yesterday after she pleaded innocent to possession of a class E substance with intent to distribute.
At $2 to $3 per pill, the pills seized had a street value of $26,000 to $40,000, according to Middlesex District Attorney spokesman Corey Welford.
Fenfluramine, commonly referred to as "FenPhen,'' was withdrawn from the U.S. market in 1997 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, after research linked it to increased instances of heart-valve disease.
The investigation began when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) became aware that a package containing Flenfluramine was being delivered from Cambodia to 974 Middlesex St., apt. 2, in Lowell. ICE contacted the Massachusetts state police assigned to the DA's office, Lowell police and the United States Postal Inspection Service.
When the package was delivered to Tath yesterday morning, police executed a search warrant for the home. They found the package had already been opened and the pills had been separated and placed into a plastic bag.
"Based on quick and efficient police work, we have seized a significant shipment of Fenfluramine, an illegal drug with significant health risks,'' Middlesex District Attorney Gerard Leone said.
Tath's next court appearance is July 31.
Sophan Tath was released on personal recognizance from Lowell District Court yesterday after she pleaded innocent to possession of a class E substance with intent to distribute.
At $2 to $3 per pill, the pills seized had a street value of $26,000 to $40,000, according to Middlesex District Attorney spokesman Corey Welford.
Fenfluramine, commonly referred to as "FenPhen,'' was withdrawn from the U.S. market in 1997 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, after research linked it to increased instances of heart-valve disease.
The investigation began when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) became aware that a package containing Flenfluramine was being delivered from Cambodia to 974 Middlesex St., apt. 2, in Lowell. ICE contacted the Massachusetts state police assigned to the DA's office, Lowell police and the United States Postal Inspection Service.
When the package was delivered to Tath yesterday morning, police executed a search warrant for the home. They found the package had already been opened and the pills had been separated and placed into a plastic bag.
"Based on quick and efficient police work, we have seized a significant shipment of Fenfluramine, an illegal drug with significant health risks,'' Middlesex District Attorney Gerard Leone said.
Tath's next court appearance is July 31.
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