All Veterinary Supply, Inc. (AVS), a company based in Doral, Florida, has pleaded guilty to one count of introducing and delivering misbranded drugs into interstate commerce. The plea was announced by United States Attorney David Metcalf. U.S. District Judge Mark A. Kearney sentenced the company to three years of probation, imposed an $18,000 fine, and ordered the forfeiture of $748,507.25, which represents the approximate gross profit from the illegal sales.
The charges stem from AVS’s distribution of xylazine beyond what its state permit allowed. Specifically, the permit did not authorize AVS to sell drugs to other wholesalers.
Xylazine is approved for veterinary use in the United States but has been increasingly found in illegal drug supplies and connected to overdose deaths. Known as “tranq,” it is particularly hazardous when combined with fentanyl and can cause serious health effects such as soft tissue necrosis if injected.
Court documents show that AVS sold around 180,993 bottles to two primary wholesaling customers in Puerto Rico, violating the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Some of this xylazine later entered the illicit drug market in Philadelphia.
The case was investigated by the Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations with support from the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant United States Attorneys Anthony D. Scicchitano and Bryan C. Hughes prosecuted the case alongside Department of Justice Trial Attorneys Steven R. Scott and Brett Ruff from the Civil Division’s Enforcement & Affirmative Litigation Branch, former DOJ Trial Attorney Michael Wadden, and EDPA contract investigator Michael Sullivan.
