Call Kurtis Investigates: More Illegal & Banned Diet Pills Found in South Sacramento

Sacramento (CBS13) -- Call Kurtis hidden cameras find even more stores selling the same dangerous diet pills he exposed in last night's investigation.

List of Banned Pills: http://www.fda.gov/newsevents/newsroom/pressannouncements/ucm149547.htm

Our undercover crew walked into the Wah Tsun Chinese Herbs Company on 65th Street in South Sacramento this afternoon and found the same exact banned diet pills we exposed in our investigation.

Undercover Producer:  And this stuff is safe?

Worker:   A lot of people buy and no problem with it

 The FDA says the pills from China marketed under dozens of names like 2-Day Diet, and 3X Slimming Power are laced with dangerous drug sibutramine.   But it doesn't say so on the label.

"They're dangerous compounds in this that can kill people," said UC Davis' Dr. Liz Applegate.

 The FDA says the pills can cause heart attacks and strokes.

 In our investigation, we found border agents in San Francisco trying to stop the black market pills from coming into the country.

 Our hidden camera found several Asian gift shops in San Jose selling them.

The stores we confronted pulled the pills from their shelves.

The day after airing our investigation, we've found even more of the diet supplements sold in South Sacramento.   

 I walked into the herbal store where our producer bought the pills, and handed the same guy who sold the pills the FDA list of banned products.   I told him the dangers and he responded with a smile in broken English, "No sell". 

 He and a co-worker started removing them from the shelves, but just to be sure why I was there, I found someone to translate in Chinese for us.

 The worker responded saying he didn't know about the ban.

Through a translator he said, "I appreciate your help to let us know that those are illegal so we will take them off the shelf.   Thank you very much."

 But we're not done.   A few doors down at the Marlbo Ginseng Store, we find more of the banned pills.   Once again we are thanked for telling them.

"We don't know because we import from the company," the woman behind the counter said.   

I asked, "What company do you buy them from?"

"I don't know because the owner isn't here," she replied.

She also agrees to pull them.

"Do people come in looking for these pills?" I asked.

"Yes."

 That's exactly what we found a middle-aged woman doing two stores over at the Thao Fashion and Music Center.  I told her she couldn't buy them.   She told us she's taken them before, and "they work good."

 This store has ads for the illegal pills right on the door, so I gave the owner my list from the F.D.A.    He admits he buys them online from China, but didn't know the F.D.A. banned them.  He agreed to remove them.

 Experts warn that drugs are not the solution to losing weight.

"Unfortunately a quick fix for weight loss isn't there," Dr. Applegate said.   "And if you look for a quick fix, you may end up hurting yourself."

 Every store that sold us these pills told us they didn't know these pills were illegal