This article was produced in collaboration with Court Watch, an independent outlet that unearths overlooked court records.
A group of vape shop owners in Florida are charged with federal counts of conspiracy and trafficking in counterfeit goods in part for allegedly selling misbranded Viagra and Cialis as “honey.”
According to the indictment, Suhaib Ahmad, Mohammad Ahmed, and Adel Ahmad ran a scheme in Florida where they imported sexual performance enhancing drugs—sildenafil and tadalafil, the generic names for Cialis and Viagra—and sold them at a smoke shop called “Z Smoke Shop” in Zephyrhills, Pasco County.
In June 2021, the indictment states, they invoiced a customer for $4,512 worth of products including “Black Bull Honey,” “Royal Honey Gold,” and “Jaguar Power” that contained misbranded prescription drugs. In August, Z Smoke Shop allegedly started selling “Royal Honey VIP,” “Secret Miracle Honey VIP,” “Amazing Honey,” and “Leopard Miracle Honey.”
These mislabeled boner-honeys have been on the FDA’s radar for a long time. In 2022, the administration issued a warning to the public that sexual enhancement “honey” products can contain prescription medications that are potentially dangerous if taken without a doctor’s supervision, because sellers don’t list sildenafil and tadalafil in the ingredients.
On top of selling Viagra without a prescription, the indictment accuses the defendants of “knowingly using” trademarks owned by Haribo, Ferrara, Kellogg and Frito-Lay to sell counterfeit snacks and candy. The counterfeit trademarks they allegedly used include “Sour S’ghetti,” “Nerds,” and “illustrated stylized drawings” of a toucan and a cheetah.
There’s a precedent of authorities going after smoke shops for infringing on trademarks, too: In 2022, for example, police seized THC edibles from several stores in North Carolina that violated trademarks from the companies above and more, including Disney, Nintendo, and Marvel.
The indictment demands that on conviction of these charges, the men of Z Smoke Shop will have to forfeit any property they have that contains the dick drugs, as well as at least $1.5 million representing the proceeds they allegedly made off these violations.
