2 men indicted on drug smuggling charges

PHILADELPHIA — A Philadelphia federal grand jury returned an indictment charging two individuals with importing and distributing controlled substances. This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Law enforcement partners participating in the investigation included the Food and Drug Administration's Office of Criminal Investigations and the United States Postal Inspection Service.

The indictment charges Rehan Shah, aka Rahul Sharma, and Abdul Shabbir Aziz, of Shreveport, La., and Namen Bader, aka John C. Koshy, of Philadelphia with conspiring to smuggle pharmaceutical controlled substances into the United States and to distribute those substances between July 2010 and Oct. 5, 2011.

The indictment also charges Shah and Bader with various specific acts of smuggling and distribution of controlled substances during that period. The indictment alleges that they smuggled drugs, including Xanax, Valium, Phentermine, Ativan, Klonopin, Ambien and their generic equivalents, into the country and distributed them to individuals who ordered them over the Internet or by telephone. The individuals ordering the drugs did not have prescriptions for them. The indictment alleges that neither Shah nor Bader was a licensed medical doctor or pharmacist. They were not registered with the Drug Enforcement Administration to distribute controlled substances. They distributed nearly 28,000 such parcels during the period charged.

If convicted, Shah faces a maximum possible sentence of 55 years imprisonment and Bader faces a maximum possible sentence of 160 years imprisonment.

An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.