Women who sold banned slimming tablets avoid jail

Two women who imported thousands of banned and dangerous slimming tablets they unlawfully sold online have been spared jail sentences.

Yesterday, Sharon Edwards, aged 33, and Tara McEvoy, aged 40, from Donomore Avenue, Tallaght, Dublin, were each fined €500 after they pleaded guilty at Dublin District Court to breaking medicinal products regulations.

Judge John O’Neill heard they imported what they believed were “100% herbal” remedies called Lida and Botanical Soft Gel Capsules. The products were bought over the internet and turned out to contain a controversial drug called Sibutramine which has been withdrawn from markets across the world due to health risk fears.

Between them they earned about €12,000 with much of the money being used to buy more stock and one defence lawyer described the enterprise as a “kitchen table affair”.

The labels on the capsule containers did not mention that the products contained Sibutramine, the judge was also told.

This active ingredient has been withdrawn from markets in the US as well as in EU countries, including Ireland.

Judge O’Neill heard that this was as a result of findings that Sibutramine’s “risks outweighed the benefits” and could result in a range harmful side effects including strokes, flu-like symptoms and cardiovascular problems.

The defence had asked the judge to note it was not a sophisticated operation and the pair and used their own phone numbers and email addresses in their online ads. They had also given the Irish Medicines Board details of the people to whom they sold the remedies.

The judge accepted that the pair had co-operated with the IMB, had paid €2,000 in costs and that the Probation Service had found them to be at low risk of re-offending. However, he said they had done something “very stupid” and he imposed convictions with the fines which must be paid within four months otherwise they will be jailed for 14 days in default.