Bogus herbal-supplement pusher gets busted

Police arrested a Las Vegas woman this week for falsely advertising and distributing what she called 'herbal alternatives' to recreational street drugs. Yamila Abraham, 34, ran a website for two and a half years called www.Pleasureherbs.com, from which she sold, among other products, 'Snurf,' which she called "the long awaited pill form of 10X extractions of Fevizia, Palenzia and De la Amazon."

In truth, authorities say, the product was made up exclusively of dextromethorphan hydrobromide (DXM), a stimulant and the active ingredient in over-the-counter cough suppressants, and the amount in Snurf exceeded the FDA's recommended dosage for cough suppression. Abraham allegedly bought the DXM in bulk from various sources around the US and repackaged it is capsules for sale as Snurf.

Charges include seven counts of mail fraud, one count of misbranding a drug, one count of introducing goods into U.S. commerce by means of false statements, and criminal forfeiture. If convicted, Abraham faces up to 23 years in prison and millions of dollars in fines.