Senators Propose Stronger Penalties for Drug Theft
A proposal to increase the penalties for stealing medical products by bringing medical theft under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations law has been brought before the Senate.
Supported by Sens. Bill Nelson of Florida, Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Charles Schumer of New York and Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia, the bill would also allow police extra tools, including wiretaps, to track thieves, reports the Washington Post.
Pharmaceutical cargo theft has increased by 350 percent since 2007, with a large $75 million theft of medicine from a Connecticut warehouse in March 2010 bringing new light to the issue.
In addition, the bill addresses dilution and counterfeiting of stolen drugs by criminalizing changing labels on stolen medical products as well as incorrect storage and transportation which can damage medications.
Said Senator Schumer, “When criminals get their hands on these drugs, nothing less than the integrity of our medical system is compromised, and that’s because stolen drugs often make it back into our pharmacies and hospitals.”
In 2010, $184 million worth of prescription medications were stolen in the U.S., according to the National Drug Intelligence Center. Experts say the most drugs are stolen from trucks or cargo containers, though company warehouses have also been hit
While morphine and codeine are often sold in the black market to addicts, specialized prescription drugs are repackaged, sometimes diluted, and sold back to medical suppliers. When the drugs are not stored properly they can prove fatal.
In 2009, a refrigerated truck of insulin worth more than $10.9 million was stolen in North Carolina. Months later diabetics were suffering with acute untreated symptoms, due to the stolen insulin, which was not properly refrigerated, and therefore ineffective.