Two Miami men have been sentenced to federal prison for their involvement in schemes that endangered patient health and breached drug safety rules, dealing a significant blow to illegal pharmaceutical operations. Boris Arencibia, 52, and Jose Armando Rivera Garcia, 45, were sentenced to 57 months each on Oct. 30 for their roles in a $28 million operation that trafficked misbranded and diverted prescription drugs, some of which were used to treat life-threatening conditions such as HIV and cancer, according to the US Attorney’s Office.
Pharmaceutical drugs, which require exact storage to retain efficacy, were obtained from illicit street vendors and stored without care. The U.S. Attorney’s Office claims that “diverted drugs put patients’ lives at risk.” U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida underscored the heinous nature of the conspiracy, with the defendants intentionally distributing contaminated drugs statewide.
The drugs in question were repackaged and accompanied by forged documentation to imitate legal supply chains before being marketed to pharmacies and unwary patients across the United States. Counterfeit pharmaceuticals posed major health dangers, with bottles carrying wrong medications, supplements, and, in some extreme cases, mere pebbles. The plan, revealed in two indictments—one in 2019 with 20 defendants and the other filed in 2025—showcased a vast network of criminality, deception, and contempt for human lives…