November 17, 1998
SENTENCING IN ANIMAL DRUG SMUGGLING CASE
On June 12, 1998, in the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Iowa, Dennis G. Doidge, Lions Head, Ontario, Canada, was sentenced to 15 months in prison and fined $100,000 for conspiring to smuggle illegal animal drugs into the United States from Canada.
Several years ago, FDA became aware that unapproved animal drugs (bulk drugs) were being illegally distributed to veterinarians and medicated premix manufacturers who did not hold approved new animal drug applications. No information was available for FDA to evaluate those bulk drugs' safety and effectiveness for their intended use, and nothing was known about the conditions under which they were manufactured. Therefore, FDA had serious concerns about the potential for these drugs to cause unsafe residues in food animals.
Joint investigations by FDA and the Department of Justice revealed a nationwide, loosely knit network of persons involved in the black market trade of these bulk animal drugs. Mr. Doidge, a Canadian citizen, pled guilty to conspiring along with two Canadians and several Americans to smuggle more than $1.2 million worth of unapproved animal drugs into the United States between 1983 and 1988. Nearly all of his confederates were brought to justice in the late 1980s or early 1990s. Mr. Doidge was indicted by a Federal grand jury on October 20, 1988, but he was able to evade prosecution by remaining outside of the United States. He was arrested while attempting to visit Las Vegas, Nevada, on vacation on November 30, 1997.
Issued by:
FDA, Center for Veterinary Medicine,
Communications Staff, HFV-12
7519 Standish Place, Rockville, MD 20855
Telephone: (240) 276-9300 FAX: (240) 276-9115
Internet Web Site: http://www.fda.gov/cvm
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