Texas couple sentenced in $2.4M Mexico-to-US smuggling operation

Duong began selling animal-care products through various online platforms around 2011, primarily to customers involved in rooster fighting ventures, according to the DOJ. She was not a veterinarian and did not require customers to provide veterinary prescriptions when purchasing veterinary drugs.

Among the products sold were Cipio Vet, Baytril Max and Caterrol, which were manufactured in Mexico but were not approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in the U.S.

Duong expanded the business in 2017 by adding Taktic and Bovitraz pesticides. Neither product was registered with the Environmental Protection Agency for sale or use in the U.S., meaning they could not legally be sold domestically.

Smuggled through Calexico, shipped to Texas

In 2018, Duong launched a website that became the primary sales and distribution channel for the operation.

Prosecutors said she then entered into agreements with several co-conspirators to acquire veterinary drugs and pesticides that she knew had been smuggled into the U.S. from Mexico.

The merchandise crossed the border through the Calexico port of entry in California, according to the DOJ. After entering the U.S., the pesticides and veterinary drugs were placed in storage units near the border.

Duong’s co-conspirators subsequently shipped the merchandise from California to Texas, creating another leg in the illicit supply chain. From 2018 through 2022, Duong obtained approximately $2.4 million worth of smuggled merchandise from the co-conspirators, prosecutors said.

Mai served as shipping manager for the website.

Once customers placed orders, Mai packaged the pesticides and veterinary drugs and shipped them to buyers around the country using the U.S. Postal Service and other shipping companies, according to prosecutors.

The case was investigated by the EPA and FDA, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

Federal authorities said the pesticides presented potential environmental and public-health risks. Taktic and Bovitraz contain amitraz, which the EPA said is toxic to bees and can ultimately expose humans when it contaminates honey, honeycomb or beeswax.

Improper use of amitraz products in beehives can result in human exposure associated with neurological and potentially reproductive effects. Documented signs of neurotoxicity in animals include central nervous system depression, decreased pulse rate and hypothermia.

“No one should profit from bringing illegal chemicals into the United States and poisoning American communities,” Jeffrey A. Hall, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, said in a statement.

Why it matters: The case provides a detailed look at how an illicit cross-border supply chain used border storage facilities, domestic shipping networks and e-commerce to distribute prohibited Mexican products throughout the United States.