Twenty have been arrested in the U.S. and abroad after being charged of running internet pharmacies and illegally shipping narcotics, steroids, and amphetamines to teenagers and buyers around the world. The arrests come after a yearlong investigation by six federal agents of web pharmacies they say operate in the shadows of the internet. With no fixed addresses there is no way to accurately track where they are located. One Philadelphia based company had smuggled in prescription painkillers, steroids and amphetamines into the U.S. from India, Germany, Hungary and elsewhere. Shipping the packages with little or no verification as to the buyer's age or medical needs; giving teens and abusers easy access to dangerous drugs. Arrests took place in Fort Lauderdale and Sarasota, Fla.; Abilene and Tyler, Texas; New York City and Rochester, N.Y.; Philadelphia; and Greenville, S.C. Authorities also made arrests in Australia, Canada, Costa Rica and India. The FDA has led the government's enforcement efforts against Internet pharmacies as part of its strenuous opposition to the legalization of imported prescription drugs.
