Drug smuggler sentenced to 12 months in prison

PHILADELPHIA — A Pennsylvania man was sentenced Wednesday to 12 months in prison for smuggling and illegally distributing more than two million prescription pills including Xanax, Valium, Phentermine, Ativan, Klonopin, Ambien and their generic equivalents. The investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). The Food and Drug Administration's Office of Criminal Investigations and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service assisted in the investigation.

Naman Bader, aka "John C. Koshy," 34, of Philadelphia, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Jan E. DuBois. Bader was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release.

"HSI will not tolerate the illegal importation and distribution of controlled substances into the United States," said John Kelleghan, special agent in charge of HSI Philadelphia. "Today's sentence again underscores our commitment to keeping Americans safe."

Approximately 25,000 counterfeit Viagra and Cialis pills were seized in international mail parcels during the course of the HSI investigation. Bader pleaded guilty Sept. 5, 2012, to charges related to the illegal possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute and to receiving merchandise illegally brought into the United States. He also pleaded guilty to distribution of a controlled substance in a school zone. The drugs had an approximate value of $10.31 million.

The investigation revealed between February 2011 and October 2011, Bader participated in a conspiracy to import and distribute pharmaceutical controlled substances. He received bulk shipments of pills from overseas, delivered some pills to conspirators to repackage for customer orders and forwarded boxes of bulk pills to conspirators across the county. Bader also shipped pills to people who had placed orders over the Internet without prescriptions. Bader conducted some of this business using a mailbox at a commercial mailbox store in Philadelphia.

Bader's co-conspirator, Rehan Shah, was sentenced to 15 months in prison Dec. 5.