Colombian officials say they have arrested two men in Florida in the US on charges that they illegally sold a pale chemical as a panacea for the new coronavirus and other diseases. The Colombian prosecutor said on Tuesday that Mark and Joseph Grenon were arrested in the beach town of Santa Marta, and they were sending their “Miracle Mineral Solution” – chlorine dioxide – from there to clients in the United States, Colombia and Africa.
It said seven Americans had died from the use of the drug.
Mark Grenon is the Archbishop of the Genesis II Church of Health and Healing, based in Bradenton, Florida. The church is central to the use of the toxic chemical as an adopted sacrament that it claims can cure a wide variety of diseases, ranging from cancer to autism to malaria and now COVID-19.
Last month, several agencies were called to the Genesis II Church of Health and Healing in connection with searches and a federal order, CBS Miami reported. Hazmat teams found 50 gallons of muriatic acid, 22 gallons of the prepared ‘Miracle Mineral Solution’, and 8,300 pounds of sodium chlorite, the station reported.
A federal judge in Miami ordered the self-styled church in April to stop selling the drug, but it was ignored.
The organization has also operated in Mexico, Australia and other countries. Despite opposition from doctors and health experts, the Bolivian Congress has recently legalized the use of the substance.
A federal criminal complaint filed in July charged Mark Grenon, 62, and his sons, Jonathan, 34; Jordan, 26; and Joseph, 32, with conspiracy to defraud the US, conspiracy to violate the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act and criminal contempt.
Records in the federal court in Miami last year did not allow lawyers for any of the Grenons. They face a maximum of between 14 and more than 17 years in prison if convicted of all charges.
According to the Food and Drug Administration, the solution is sold by the Grenons a bleach when it is introduced which is typically used for such things as textile, industrial water, pulp and paper treatment.
Authorities said drinking that turned out to be fatal could be fatal.
The FDA said in a news release last August that “eating these products is the same as drinking bleach. Consumers should not use these products, and parents should not give these products to their children for any reason.” The FDA has not approved the solution for all health-related uses.
The federal complaint states that the Grenons initially agreed to follow U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams’ order to stop selling the solution, and then changed their tone in podcasts and emails to the judge himself.
“We will NOT participate in any of your UNCONSTITUTIONAL Orders, Calls, etc.”, read one email from Mark Grenon. “Again and again I have written you everything … you have no authority over our Church.”
