Feds Seize 'Dangerous' Tightening Gel At Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport

MINNEAPOLIS — Federal officers at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport recently stopped a shipment filled with 2,536 "dangerous" pre-filled syringes of vaginal tightening gel, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

The shipment was destined for a residential address in Woodbury, according to authorities. Had the items been sold in the open market, the total domestic value would have been over $19,000, investigators said.

"This dangerous shipment is another example of someone using unregulated gels to prey on unknowing consumers with false promises," said LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke of the CBP's Chicago office.

"Not knowing what you are inserting in your body can be deadly, and consumers believe they are getting a discount, when in fact they are purchasing an inferior product with unapproved ingredients."

On Nov. 20, CBP inspected a shipment arriving from Hong Kong manifested as "Vaginal Tightening Gel." The shipment contained commercial quantities of a gel inside injectables and required the user to wear chemical-resistant gloves when handling, authorities said.

The packages containing the cosmetic gel were found in pink packaging apparently ready for resale, according to investigators.

In a joint effort, the CBP and U.S. Food and Drug Administration the items were seized for violating the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

The CBP noted that E-commerce trade soared during the pandemic, but medications sold in the U.S. must conform to the FDA’s strict standards that aim to protect consumers from dangerous irregularities in drug potency.