More than 200 website domains with links to India-based criminal organisations selling counterfeit or unapproved drugs to Americans have been seized by the US federal authorities, said US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in a statement on Wednesday.
Federal authorities in the US said the websites were being run by trans-national criminal organisations (TCOs) and were allegedly responsible for at least six fatal and four non-fatal overdoses.
As part of ‘Operation Meltdown’, the DEA field officers also conducted multiple operations across the US from January 27 this year, leading to the arrest of four individuals along with the issuance of five Immediate Suspension Orders (ISO) and one Order to Show Cause (OTSC), the statement added. The online pharmacies had been under investigation by DEA’s Rocky Mountain Field Division since 2022, it said.
The drug enforcement body said the operation comprised cooperation of the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, and collaboration with the Government of India’s law enforcement partners to identify, investigate, and dismantle dangerous criminal organisations that engage in these types of illegal drug trafficking operations.
“This case demonstrates how foreign-based traffickers exploit our healthcare system, hide behind the internet, and use people inside the United States to move dangerous drugs under the guise of legitimate commerce,” DEA Administrator Terrance Cole said.
“Illegal online pharmacies put poison in American communities. They sell counterfeit and unapproved pills and do not care who gets hurt or who dies. Actions like this save lives. They protect the American people. If you run these sites, supply them, move the money, ship the product, or help them operate, we will find you, we will dismantle your operations, and we will hold you fully accountable under US law.”
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Investigators determined the operators of these online pharmacies and their co-conspirators were illegally dispensing and shipping diverted medications, without valid prescriptions, to customers throughout the United States, violating federal rules and regulations and dangerously infiltrating a closed system of distribution intended to keep patients safe. Subsequently, DEA has sent more than 20,000 letters to the public requesting information in support of this ongoing investigation.
Earlier in 2024, DEA had issued a Public Service Announcement warning Americans about an increase in illegal online pharmacies. Many of these online pharmacies sold and shipped counterfeit pills made with fentanyl or methamphetamine to unsuspecting US customers, who believed they were purchasing legitimate medications from legitimate pharmacies.
Illegal online pharmacies often use US-based website addresses and professional-looking designs to appear legitimate when, in fact, they are not, the statement said.
Through joint operations, the DEA will continue to pursue significant enforcement actions against illicit pharmaceutical distributors at the source and remains steadfast in its efforts to disrupt the flow of illicit pharmaceuticals that threaten public health and safety of American citizens, it said.
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