A 29-year-old Indian doctor who orchestrated a staggering global Internet pharmacy network from his apartment was sentenced today to 30 years in prison.
Akhil Bansal, who was an MBA student at Temple University, created and operated a network that smuggled 11 million prescription pills from India and distributed them to 60,000 Americans.
"The evidence of your guilt is overwhelming, sir," U.S. District Judge Paul Diamond said. "You distributed poison throughout the country."
Diamond said that Bansal showed no remorse whatsoever and that it was impossible to believe a trained doctor would not know that the pills involved require a prescription.
The investigation, dubbed Operation Cyberchase, marked the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's first-ever major investigation of its type.
Bansal's double life as student and rogue Web pharmacy supplier - as well as the hunt to catch him - were chronicled last year in an Philly Inquirer series called "Drugnet".
Akhil Bansal, who was an MBA student at Temple University, created and operated a network that smuggled 11 million prescription pills from India and distributed them to 60,000 Americans.
"The evidence of your guilt is overwhelming, sir," U.S. District Judge Paul Diamond said. "You distributed poison throughout the country."
Diamond said that Bansal showed no remorse whatsoever and that it was impossible to believe a trained doctor would not know that the pills involved require a prescription.
The investigation, dubbed Operation Cyberchase, marked the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's first-ever major investigation of its type.
Bansal's double life as student and rogue Web pharmacy supplier - as well as the hunt to catch him - were chronicled last year in an Philly Inquirer series called "Drugnet".
1 comment:
Just another reason consumers should always use extreme caution when ordering prescription drugs over the Internet.
When ordering from online pharmacies it's extremely important that consumers only deal with pharmacies that are properly licensed in the United States or Canada.
Dealing with pharmacies outside of these two countries is not recommended!
Post a Comment