Adrián García Hernández pleaded guilty on March 10 to introducing adulterated animal drugs into Puerto Rico, according to an announcement by W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico.
The case highlights ongoing efforts by federal authorities to prevent unapproved and potentially dangerous animal drugs from entering the U.S. market. Such actions are intended to protect public health and safety in both Puerto Rico and the broader United States.
Court documents show that García Hernández, a resident of Dorado, Puerto Rico, admitted to one count of introducing adulterated animal drugs into interstate commerce in violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. He is not a licensed veterinarian in Puerto Rico but arranged for shipments of “Equiet Xilacina 10%,” also known as xylazine, from Bogota, Colombia to Puerto Rico via Federal Express. These shipments were intercepted and seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers on October 22 and November 20, 2024. García Hernández is scheduled for sentencing before District Judge María Antongiorgi-Jordán on June 9.
In a separate case, Waldemar Ojeda Ramos of Mayagüez pleaded guilty on December 5, 2025, to delivering adulterated animal drugs for payment and misbranding them. According to his plea agreement, Ojeda Ramos sold several vials of prescription xylazine products manufactured outside the United States that are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). He will be sentenced by District Judge Francisco A. Besosa on March 23.
Xylazine is a non-opiate sedative used in veterinary medicine but is not approved for human use due to serious side effects. The FDA issued Import Alert 68-20 in February 2023 to block such products from entering the country after detecting xylazine in illicit drug supplies linked with overdoses.
The cases were investigated by the FDA, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), with prosecution led by FDA Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyrsten L. Melander. The Department of Justice’s Trade Fraud Task Force coordinated these actions across multiple agencies nationwide.
The Justice Department includes more than 115,000 employees operating across the United States and internationally according to its official website. It serves as the principal federal agency for law enforcement according to its official website and focuses on upholding the rule of law while safeguarding civil rights as detailed online. Garland assumed leadership as Attorney General on March 11, 2021 according to the department’s biography, overseeing operations throughout all states and over fifty countries as reported online. His tenure has included oversight of major prosecutions such as those related to the Oklahoma City bombing case according to official records.
Federal officials encourage whistleblowers with credible allegations of fraud involving trade or importation issues to contact authorities through established channels.
