iPolitics Investigates How Drug Counterfeiters Are Using Craigslist to Hawk Their Wares to Canadians
Annie Marie Oliver describes how the growing problem of counterfeit drugs being offered for sale on Craigslist is presenting serious challenges to Canadian law enforcement.
A story in iPolitics is reporting that counterfeit drugs are easily available to Canadians via sellers on Craigslist. Titled “Craigslist: Increasingly, a marketplace for dodgy prescription drugs”, author Annie Marie Oliver delves into the shady world of online drug sellers who use websites such as Craigslist to hawk drugs that are likely counterfeit, and talks to Canadian authorities to find out what is being done about it.
Oliver cites what Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Deputy Commissioner Mike Cabana stated during a recent Senate committee meeting to point out that counterfeit drugs are a problem for Canada too. “The movement of counterfeit medications via the Internet is a growing problem and a key challenge for Canadian law enforcement. Counterfeit drugs can easily be acquired online from mainly offshore, unscrupulous operations where unapproved and illegal medications are available for a fraction of the legitimate pharmacy cost.”
Oliver did her own research to determine how easily she could find questionable prescription drugs for sale on Craigslist. She found dozens of offers to sell all manner of prescription drugs via the site.
In 2013, the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) and the RCMP participated in Operation Pangea, the global enforcement effort designed to root out and dismantle fake online pharmacy operations. The CBSA and RCMP seized over 230,000 units of counterfeit medication, originating from 19 different countries during the Pangea operations.
This year, the RCMP seized a counterfeit drug lab operating out of a storage unit in suburban Montreal. The bust happened quite by accident, but authorities found over 15,000 fake pills, along with the equipment needed to manufacture more.
As counterfeit drugs become a bigger and bigger problem for Canada, even Canadians must be wary of purchasing medication from a Canadian online pharmacy. Before purchasing any medication online, learn the truth about medicine importation with our Questions and Answers About Medicine Importation.