Stiff Sentence For Viagra Scam Ringleader

A man from Elstree has been jailed for four-and-a-half years after being named as a ringleader of a multi-million pound impotence drug scam.

Ashish Halai, 33, of Nicholas Road, was at the heart of the five-year plot to sell millions of fake Viagra, Cialis and Propecia pills, used to treat hair loss, on the internet.

He pleaded guilty in April, but court restrictions meant the case could not be reported until now because other defendants were on trial.

At a sentencing hearing on Monday, Kingston Crown Court was told he and the gang 'preyed' on the vulnerability of men too embarrased to seek medical help for their sexual problems.

Millions of fake pills were sold on the internet to the US and other countries but some were also sold 'legitimately' over the counter in UK chemists on prescription to unsuspecting customers.