| DEA Shatters International Internet Drug Ring
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Author: David Altfeder Added: December 16, 2006
The US DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) has announced the results of Operation “Cyber Chase”, a year long organized crime drug enforcement task force investigation that targeted international Internet pharmaceutical traffickers operating in the United States, India, Asia, Europe and the Caribbean. DEA Administrator Karen P. Tandy announced the success of the program, part of the ongoing effort by the DEA to shut down “rogue” Internet pharmacies which distribute drugs illegally in the United States.
Over the course of 48 hours, there were 20 arrests in the U.S. and overseas. Arrests occurred in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Ft. Lauderdale, Floria, Sarasota Florida, Abilene Texas and Tyler Texas. In addition, arrests occurred in San Jose, Costa Rica, New Delhi, Agra, and Bombay, India. Operation “Cyber Chase” targeted major pharmaceutical drug traffickers who allegedly shipped Schedule II-V pharmaceutical controlled substances including amphetamines, narcotics and anabolic steroids directly to buyers of all ages without the medical examination by a physician required by U.S. law. The drug traffickers used more than 200 websites to illegally distribute these substances.
DEA Administrator Tandy; Scott Burns Deputy Director for State and Local Affairs, White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP); Brian Lampkin, Section Chief, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Financial Crimes Section; Deputy Assistant Director of Investigations of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Paul Kilcoyne; Associate Commissioner for Regulatory Affairs, Food and Drug Administration, John M. Taylor; Paul J. Trimbur, Inspector in Charge, Mail Theft, Violent Crimes and Narcotics Investigations, U.S. Postal Inspections Service (USPIS); and Commissioner Mark W. Everson, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) made the announcement today. The investigation was joined by the agencies listed above.
DEA Administrator Karen P. Tandy said, “For too long the Internet has been an open medicine cabinet with cyber drug dealers illegally doling out a vast array of narcotics, amphetamines, and steroids. In this first major international enforcement action against online rogue pharmacies and their sources of supply, we’ve logged these traffickers off the Internet.”
John Walters, Director of National Drug Control Policy said, "Prescription drugs help millions of Americans every day. But their misuse is becoming a serious problem, abetted by drug traffickers who are using the Internet to attempt to subvert our medical prescription system. E-traffickers that target young people and those suffering from the disease of addiction are now the target of law enforcement action, while we continue to ensure proper access to needed medications. I would like to thank and applaud the agencies and offices involved in this investigation as their efforts truly make America safer."
"This investigation dismantled a major source of illicit pharmaceuticals that posed a significant public health threat. Closing down these illegal, Internet drug pipelines is essential to protecting consumers of pharmaceuticals," said Michael J. Garcia, Assistant Secretary, Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
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