Hard times for hard-working hard-on inducing drug peddling yakuza

Can you say that three times fast?

According to the National Police Agency, even more yakuza have been arrested in an Osaka drug ring selling fake Viagra to unsuspecting fun-seekers. Two members of the Yamaguchi-gumi were arrested again (see the original report here) and are being held in custody on charges of unauthorized sale of pharmaceuticals after they were caught last month illegally selling fake Viagra. A third Yamaguchi-gumi member was also arrested.

Police discovered 13,000 tablets of the fake Viagra in a Naniwa condo, what they believe is one of the ring’s bases for selling the erectile dysfunction medication. It’s thought that the proceeds from the business were directed back into the organization. The three are suspected of selling 120 tablets without a license to three men for a total of 39,000 yen between April 27 and May 5.

The “fake Viagra” the yakuza are selling, according to police, is about twice as potent as normal Viagra–essentially the active ingredient Sildenafil. An overdose of Viagra–very possible with this much Sildenafil–can cause a lot more than an overly persistent erection, occasionally resulting in heart attacks or death.

It seems like the yakuza’s lucky customers escaped such a fate, however. In his statement to the police, one of them allegedly complained,”It was relatively cheap and it worked. What’s the crime in that?”