Texas Man Pleads Guilty in $8M “Poppers” Drug Scheme

The United States Department of Justice is reporting that a Texas man has pleaded guilty to selling over $8 million worth of dangerous recreational drugs known as “Poppers” that were mislabeled as tape cleaner.

What Are “Poppers” and Why Are They Illegal?

A Texas man has now pleaded guilty to two counts of criminal conspiracy related to misbranding volatile alkyl nitrites, known as “poppers” and selling them as inhalants which violates federal law. Labels for popper products are often misleading claiming to be cleaning agents, but poppers are misused for recreational purposes by being inhaled through the nose. Misuse of nitrites can cause health effects including irregular heartbeat, vision loss, and death.

READ MORE: Here's What Happens to the Drugs Confiscated in Texas

Details of the Federal Charges

The Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division says, “The defendant helped sell more than $8 million of dangerous drugs misbranded as cleaning agents, while concealing their true intended use as recreational inhalants.”

Court documents show 41-year-old Brett Sandy worked at an Austin-based popper manufacturer from January 2019 to February 2025. Sandy was in charge of bookkeeping and spoke with customers seeking to purchase poppers for recreational misuse.

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Role in the $8M Operation

Sandy admitted that poppers shipped from his employer with names like “love potion” or “pumpkin spice latte” were falsely labeled as “tape cleaner” to defraud the FDA and CPSC. Sandy also admitted to selling hundreds of bottles of poppers to an individual who was planning to distribute them as a drug at a “sexy singles party.” Sandy admitted that evidence showed that while he worked for the company it sold more than $8.4 million in unlawful popper products.

Sandy pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and one count of conspiracy to violate the Consumer Product Safety Act. He now faces a statutory maximum of five years in prison for each count. A sentencing date has not been set.