An American dietary supplements manufacturer and six of its executives are facing criminal charges after investigators revealed that the company used large amounts of a synthetic stimulant made in China in its bestselling  products, Jack3d and OxyElite Pro. The company, however, claims that all the ingredients in the supplements come from plant extracts.

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The U.S. Justice Department has found probable cause to indict USPlabs and its executives for the unlawful sale of nutritional supplements. The announcement of this probe was made as federal agents have stepped up their operations to nail down supplement manufacturers, whose products are unproven.

The indictment said  that USPlabs LLC used a synthetic stimulant that is made in China to make Jack3d and OxyElite Pro but told retailers that the supplements were manufactured from plant extracts.

Reports indicate that between 2008 and 2013, USPLabs made a whopping $400 million in sales.

Benjamin Mizer, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General, said that all over the United States, consumers ingest pills, powder, and liquids without knowing if the products would either help them or harm them.

"Unfortunately, many of these products are not what they purport to be or cannot do what the distributors claim they can do," he said.

The Justice Department said six executives of USPlabs and S.K. Laboratories (the laboratory that manufactured the supplements for USPlabs) face criminal charges.The police arrested four of them on Tuesday while the other two are expected to surrender.

The indictment said many consumers sustained liver injuries in 2013 after ingesting the popular OxyLite Pro Advanced Formula supplement with some needing a liver transplant.

According to the case, USPlabs was informed about the harmful effects of its supplements and it promised the Food and Drug Administration that it would ask its marketing department to cease selling the products.

But instead of fulfilling the promise, USPlabs went on with its nefarious ways and sold the inventory as quickly as they could even after the two executives had ordered the staff to remove the questioned products from its shelves.

The Justice Department said it has filed civil cases against five companies this week on the ground of improper sale of a range of supplements.

Among these companies are Clifford Woods, distributor of Taheebo Life Tea and Life Glow Plus; Viruxo, seller of the pill Viruxo to treat herpes and Optimum Health, seller of DMSO Cream.

TagsJack3d, OxyElite Pro, dietary supplements, Food and Drug Administration, unlawful sale of supplements, Indictment, US Justice Department, USPLabs, USPLabs OxyElite Jack3d China-Made Synthetic Supplements