The owner of a chain of headshops has been sentenced to three years and fined €100,000 for illegally importing Viagra like products.
James Bellamy (64) told gardaí the drugs were herbal Chinese Viagra made from seal penises, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard.
His company, Harmony Products, which is in liquidation, were fined €150,000 for not having a license to sell the products.
Tests showed some of the drugs contained anaesthetics while the rest contained synthetic treatments for erectile dysfunction. All of the drugs were prescription only and some are known to cause to seizures, comas and death in certain users.
Bellamy of Castle Court, Killiney Hill Road, Killiney, and his company were charged under the Irish Medicines Board Act for not having a license to sell the products. Documentation showed he imported 6,000 packages of the drugs some of which were sold wholesale to other headshops.
Bellamy and Harmony Products pleaded guilty.