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Helena, Mont. • U.S. prosecutors are asking the Canadian and British governments to extradite officials with an online pharmacy to face charges of smuggling mislabeled, unapproved and counterfeit cancer drugs.
Fourteen companies and individuals from Canada, the United Kingdom, Barbados and the U.S. are accused of participating in the conspiracy in which $78 million in drugs were sold to U.S. doctors over two years.
Winnipeg-based Canadadrugs.com and its CEO, Kristjan Thorkelson, are accused of spearheading the conspiracy, aided by subsidiaries in the U.K. and Barbados. The defendants were no-shows for two previous court dates.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Chad Spraker says in a recent court filing that prosecutors will request assistance through extradition treaties with Canada and the U.S.
Spraker says he expects the defendants to appear in court in January.