10 face charges in online drug sales:
By Jerry Seper
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
A federal grand jury in Alexandria yesterday returned a 108-count indictment against 10 persons and three companies, charging them with illegally selling controlled substances and other prescription drugs ” including Viagra” over the Internet.
The indictment charges that customers were able to purchase the drugs with inadequate or no medical supervision, little diagnostic testing and scant monitoring of the person's response to the drugs as required by law.
The Internet sites used mass e-mail and advertising to sell drugs, giving discounts to customers who bought large quantities.
'This case is about a dangerous new spin on an old problem,' said U.S. Attorney Paul J. McNulty. 'Drug trafficking in cyberspace is just as harmful to public safety as drug trafficking on street corners. The advent of the Internet does not mean doctors and pharmacists can bypass rules concerning the dispensing of prescription drugs, particularly controlled substances.'
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