U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers (CBP) in El Paso, Texas seized bottles of diluted Clorox and over-the-counter medications on Wednesday, concealed in the back seat of a vehicle.
They ended up with 4,340 tablets of different medications and 30 bottles of diluted Clorox. The driver was a United States citizen and he intended to sell everything. He was issued a $2,600 civil penalty with further investigation being done.
About a week earlier, near the same area, CBP seized a large shipment of toilet paper and cleaning supplies. Testing of many of the cleaning supplies showed that the primary ingredient was only water.
CBP El Paso Director of Field Operations Hector Mancha said, “In the current environment it is reprehensible that someone would attempt a scheme like this to prey upon the concerns and fears of our community, likely for financial gain. Our officers remain focused and attentive to all threats they may encounter.”
Looks like smugglers, price-gougers and counterfeiters are busy trying to profit from the pandemic. And it’s not just Americans. It’s going on everywhere. Hospitals in many countries are reporting disappearing inventories of masks and hand sanitizer and criminals “selling” reportedly nonexistent medical supplies.
In early March, Matt Colvin and his brother Noah tried to profit off the Wuhan coronavirus scare by buying up 17,700 of hand sanitizer in stores in Chattanooga, Tennessee. They drove around Tennessee (and then Kentucky) to buy as many as they could and were selling them for $70 per bottle instead of $8 because people were desperate to get them.
Unfortunately for the Colvins, Amazon and eBay shut down their little enterprise for price-gouging and the rental company where they kept their purchases kicked him out. The wrath of the Internet came upon them and they ended up donating the bottles to people in need in Tennessee…just as the Tennessee attorney general was starting to investigate them for price-gouging.
What’s next, black market Cheetos, Twinkies and Ramen noodles?
This piece was written by Liberty Paige on March 27, 2020. It originally appeared in SteveGruber.com and is used by permission.
Read more at SteveGruber.com:
Michigan’s Governor Says Millions Will Soon Die
Democrats Call Trump’s Coronavirus Press Conferences “Rallies” and Don’t Want Them Broadcast Live
The Fear Is Killing Us And The Economy Too
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