Mounties in British Columbia say they are following up on allegations that one of Canada's Paralympians was trafficking counterfeit Viagra pills in from the United States.
Wheelchair curler Jim Armstrong was arrested in Washington State last week, less than a month after his gold medal win in Vancouver, B.C.
Documents filed with the U.S. District Court in Seattle allege Armstrong tried to smuggle 2,544 tablets of counterfeit Viagra and 260 tablets of counterfeit Cialis into Canada in a regular cardboard box.
The arresting officer alleges Armstrong said his son purchased the drugs to distribute at clubs in Vancouver.
Sgt. Duncan Pound said RCMP investigators are following up on any potential distribution in Canada, and that the prevalence of counterfeit drugs -- especially in the club scene – is one of their top priorities.
"We want to get the message out to everybody in Canada, be sure of where you're getting your prescription drugs," he said. "There's a reason doctors and pharmacists are supposed to be involved in that chain. It's very dangerous."
Counterfeit pills from other countries are not subject to quality control, Pound said, and have anecdotally been found to contain substances like common highway paint to mimic the colour of their legitimate counterparts.
Fake Viagra is often used hand-in-hand with ecstasy to counteract that drugs side effect of impotency, amounting to what Pound called a "very dangerous concoction."
None of the allegations against Armstrong have been proven in court.
He was released from custody after he posted a $20,000 bond, and has not commented publicly on his arrest.
Armstrong skipped the Canadian rink to an 8-7 victory over the South Korean team in the gold medal game at the Paralympics on March 20.
Before taking up wheelchair curling, Armstrong was an able-bodied curler who competed at six Brier championships.
He is due back in court on April 30.
With files from The Canadian Press
