SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Adrián García Hernández pleaded guilty on March 10, 2026, to introducing adulterated animal drugs into Puerto Rico, announced W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico.
According to court documents, Adrián García-Hernández, 50, of Dorado, Puerto Rico pleaded guilty to one count of introducing adulterated animal drugs into interstate commerce, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §331(a) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA). The adulterated animal drugs being imported into the United States by García-Hernández were not approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
García-Hernández, who is not a licensed veterinarian in Puerto Rico, caused 50 boxes of “Equiet Xilacina 10%,” commonly referred to as “xylazine,” among other animal drugs, to be mailed from Bogota, Colombia to Puerto Rico via Federal Express. The shipment was detained and seized by United States Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”) officers on October 22, 2024.
García-Hernández also caused 23 boxes of “Equiet Xilacina 10%,” to be mailed from Bogota, Colombia to Puerto Rico via Federal Express, which were detained and seized by CBP on November 20, 2024. García-Hernández is scheduled by sentenced by District Judge María Antongiorgi-Jordán on June 9, 2026.
In a separate case, on December 5, 2025, Waldemar Ojeda Ramos, 49, of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico pleaded guilty to one count of delivering adulterated animal drugs for payment and one count of misbranding of animal drugs in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 331(c) and (k) of the FDCA. According to the plea agreement, Ojeda Ramos, who is not a licensed veterinarian, sold ten vials of xylazine, 50 ml, on March 30, 2023. The ten vials of xylazine included five vials of Procin, a prescription animal drug containing xylazine manufactured in Mexico, and five vials of Xilazil, a prescription animal drug that contained xylazine manufactured in Argentina.
Ojeda Ramos also sold nine vials of xylazine, 50 ml, on October 4, 2023, including Xilacina and Xilapet, which are prescription animal drugs containing xylazine manufactured in Mexico. Neither Procin, Xilazil, Xilacina, nor Xilapet are approved for veterinary use in the United States by the FDA. Ojeda Ramos is scheduled to be sentenced by District Judge Francisco A. Besosa on March 23, 2026.
Xylazine is a non-opiate sedative, analgesic, and muscle relaxant commonly known as “tranq”. FDA-approved xylazine is used as an analgesic and as a preanesthetic to local and general non-human anesthesia, and as such, any animal drugs that contained xylazine are prescription drugs, available only by or on the order of a licensed veterinarian. While xylazine is not approved for use in humans, it has been detected in the illicit drug supply and in human drug overdoses. Xylazine is not shown to be safe for use in humans and has resulted in serious and life-threatening side effects. As a result, FDA issued Import Alert 68-20 on February 28, 2023, to prevent finished drug products containing xylazine from entering the United States market.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico (USAO-DPR) and its law enforcement partners remain committed to enforcing import laws like the FDCA which protect the United States and Puerto Rico from public health and safety risks. The FDA, DEA, and CBP investigated these cases which are being prosecuted by FDA Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyrsten L. Melander.
The USAO-DPR, FDA, DEA, and CBP coordinated this action through the Department of Justice’s Trade Fraud Task Force, a cross-agency law enforcement effort that also involves the Criminal and Civil Divisions’ Fraud Sections, the Environment and Natural Resources Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois, the Department of Homeland Security, and U.S. Attorney’s Offices nationwide. The Task Force was created to leverage all of the Department’s tools and authorities to prevent trade fraud that deprives the government of vital revenue, threatens critical domestic industries, undermines consumer confidence, and weakens national security. The Task Force is designed to pursue enforcement actions against parties who seek to evade tariffs and other duties, as well as smugglers who seek to import prohibited goods into the American economy. The Justice Department encourages whistleblowers to alert the government to credible allegations of fraud, including utilizing the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act or through the Criminal Division’s Corporate Whistleblower Program at CorporateWhistleblower@usdoj.gov using the form available here.
