Feds seize 100 unauthorized COVID-19 test kits shipped to Oregon man

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — An Oregon man and a Chinese company are under investigation after federal agents seized 100 unauthorized coronavirus test kits that were shipped to his apartment.

The COVID-19 test kits were not FDA-approved and were prohibited from entering the country. According to a federal search warrant in mid-March, United States Customs intercepted the suspicious coronavirus test kit package headed to an address in north Portland, Oregon.

Authorities raided his apartment last Wednesday.

They discovered that the man who allegedly bought them isn’t a medical care provider, but the former owner of a now-defunct cannabis business. Court documents say he bought them at 50 cents each.

According to the affidavit, a coronavirus physician said current COVID-19 swab tests now run for at least $1,000.

The China company also doesn’t have authority to send kits to the public.

According to the feds, there are currently no approved, cleared or emergency-use authorized COVID-19 tests for home use. If these kits were marketed for home use or distributed for that purpose, then the Chinese company would be in violation.

Right now, the only way to get a test for the new coronavirus is through a health care provider. There’s no authorized home test kit available yet, although the FDA is working to develop one.

The FBI asks anyone who may have been the target or victim of a coronavirus-related scheme to contact their internet crime complaint center.