Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department investigators seized nearly $2 million in counterfeit cigarettes and $100,000 in counterfeit Viagra pills Monday in Rosemead, South El Monte and East Los Angeles.

A 37-year-old man and a 42-year-old woman were arrested for sales and distribution of counterfeit merchandise at their home in the 9400 block of Ralph Street in Rosemead, where investigators said they also found $110,000 in cash.

Both suspects were booked Monday at the sheriff's East Los Angeles Station and released on $50,000 bond each, said Lt. John Voza of the sheriff's Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Bureau. An arraignment date has not been set.

A man who answered the door Tuesday at the suspects' house, an upscale, two-story home a neighbor described as the "nicest house on the block," declined to comment.

Voza said the suspects' names have not been released because the investigation is ongoing. He said investigators are still searching for others involved in the sale and distribution of the counterfeit materials.

"(The suspects) appeared to be the suppliers of the product as opposed to being the direct sellers of the product," Voza said.

He added that the investigation began based on a tip about people selling the products. He said counterfeit cigarettes, Viagra and other drugs are "unfortunately very common" and have become popular because "it's a very profitable market."

In addition to the
Rosemead home, officers searched two storage units, one in the 1700 block of Eastern Avenue in East Los Angeles, and another in the 1100 block of Peck Road in South El Monte.

Investigators also looked into a "possible associate" at an apartment in Montebello, but made no arrests.

In the storage units, investigators also found counterfeit tax stamps from California, Arizona, Minnesota, New York and New Jersey, used to avoid paying cigarette taxes. The stamps are valued at $260,000 in state taxes and $300,000 in federal taxes.

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations, the Board of Equalization, the Federal Bureau of Investigations and private investigators from Philip Morris USA also assisted in the yearlong investigation.

Voza said counterfeit drugs pose significant problems for consumers. He said one of the major problems is that by-products in counterfeit cigarettes are often unknown, and can include drywall and feces.

David Sutton, a spokesman for Philip Morris USA, said counterfeit cigarettes are a problem the company has combatted for more than 10 years.

"There is a whole host of issues that surround counterfeit cigarette trafficking," Sutton said. "You have an underage smoking potential problem, you have a tax evasion problem, you have a product integrity problem and you have a consumer problem, because they are being misled about their purchase."

Voza said consumers should be aware of products that are sold at a location where the product is not normally sold or that have low-quality packaging with misspelled words.