U.S. shuts down over 200 ‘illegal’ online pharmacies tied to India-based TCO

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has announced the shut down of over 200 website domains tied to an India-based transnational criminal organisation (TCO) allegedly responsible for at least six fatal and four non-fatal overdoses. Four persons have been arrested so far.

The DEA executed the operation in cooperation of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. “The TCO tied to these illegal online pharmacies has been under investigation by DEA’s Rocky Mountain Field Division since 2022,” read its statement.

“Leveraging its global reach, DEA actively collaborates with our Government of India law enforcement partners to identify, investigate, and dismantle dangerous criminal organisations that engage in these types of illegal drug trafficking operations,” said the DEA, adding that it would continue its crackdown on illicit pharmaceutical distributors at the source through joint operations.

The agency’s field offices launched the searches on January 27 across the U.S., leading to the arrest of four individuals along with the issuance of five Immediate Suspension Orders (ISO) and one Order to Show Cause (OTSC) against DEA-registered pharmacies.

“These actions were in addition to the U.S. government shutting down more than 200 online pharmacies accused of filling hundreds of thousands of orders of diverted pharmaceuticals and counterfeit pills without valid prescriptions,” said the DEA.

The agency has approached hundreds of customers who bought medication through them.

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“This case demonstrates how foreign-based traffickers exploit our healthcare system, hide behind the internet, and use people inside the United States to move dangerous drugs under the guise of legitimate commerce,” said DEA Administrator Terrance Cole. In 2024, DEA had cautioned the U.S. citizens against an increase in illegal online pharmacies, many of which sold and shipped counterfeit pills made with fentanyl to unsuspecting customers, it said.

The agency said that many of the sites taken down as part of Operation Meltdown claimed to be legitimate, based in the U.S., and FDA-approved, but it found that their operators were often working with drug traffickers to fulfill online orders with counterfeit pills or diverted pharmaceuticals.

“These counterfeit medications are often made with fentanyl or methamphetamine and taking them can lead to serious health risks, including harmful side effects, ineffective treatment, and even death,” it added.