DEA Busts 4600 Online Pharmacies: A Word of Caution

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Title: DEA Busts 4600 Online Pharmacies: A Word of Caution

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Author: Altfeder

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DEA Busts 4600 Online Pharmacies: A Word of Caution

Copyright 2005 Altfeder

In September 2005, the US Drug Enforcement Administration

(DEA) shut down more than 4600 illegal online pharmacy web

sites and arrested 18 people who ran those sites. The

illegal pharmacies shipped a range of medications to

consumers without a valid prescription, including

hyrocodone, promethazine cough syrup with codeine,

phentermine and Xanax.

The DEA investigation, known as Operation CYBERx, also

netted seven luxury cars, 2400 checks and money orders from

customers and several boxes of cash. According to the DEA,

the drug traffickers averaged more than $50,000 per day in

profits through direct sales and through affiliate sales.

They even sold cough syrup with codeine out the back door

of their warehouse.

DEA Administrator P. Tandy said, “Operation CYBERx

puts out of business alleged cyber criminals who were

selling powerful narcotics without legitimate prescriptions

to anyone with a computer and cash. These high-tech drug

dealers were fueling addictions by selling the very drugs

intended to prevent and treat ailments—not inflict them.

Just as important, this Operation makes more Americans

aware that buying prescription drugs from these rogue

websites is illegal and dangerous.”

It is important to differentiate between illegal pharmacies

which dispense medication without a valid prescription and

legal online pharmacies. A legal online pharmacy requires a

physician to make an independent medical judgment about the

appropriateness of the prescription request. If

appropriate, the physician writes a legal prescription. The

best of these pharmacies caution their patients to use

their service wisely.

If you are considering a purchase from an online pharmacy,

- Avoid any pharmacy which offers codeine (hydrocodone) or

other narcotics

- Avoid any overseas pharmacy

- Avoid pharmacies which are hosted in China, Russia and

other foreign countries. A recent report indicated 20% of

medication shipped from Russia is counterfeit.

- Examine the web site. Is it a pure sales site? Sites with

news, articles, and health advice are more likely to be

legitimate, long term businesses.

- Avoid purchasing from any site which has sent you an

unsolicited email advertisement (Spam).

- Avoid pharmacies which allow you to order any quantity of

medication. Legitimate pharmacies limit the quantity of

medication you can order and limit the frequency with which

you can reorder.

- Exercise caution. If you have a new health problem which

you do not fully understand or which has not been evaluated

by a physician, see a physician first. For example, if you

wake up with a major headache which you’ve never had

before, don’t order pain medication from an online

pharmacy, go to the emergency room instead.

Are there any conditions under which it is OK to order from

an online pharmacy? While no formal standards have been

developed to guide patients, there are certain conditions

under which a purchase from an online pharmacy appears to

be safe. For example, If you have been treated for a

medical condition by a physician and you periodically have

to reorder the medication, a purchase from an online

pharmacy can save you the time and expense of a visit to

the doctor’s office. Even in this case, periodic

re-evaluation by your physician is wise.

About the Author:

Altfeder is owner of

http://www.deepdiscountpharmacy.net . He has written a

series of articles on health, medicine and pharmacology.