posted March 28, 2000 09:41 AM            

By The Associated Press

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -- Twenty-two people have been arrested in Thailand
for allegedly selling prescription drugs on the Internet and exporting
them to the United States, Thai and U.S. officials said Tuesday.

The arrests were the result of a joint operation by U.S. and Thai customs
agents, the first case in which the U.S. government had a hand in closing
the Web sites of foreign companies exporting drugs that can be bought in
the United States only with a prescription.

Tranquilizers, diet pills and steroids were among the drugs the three
Internet pharmacies targeted in the sweep were accused of mailing
overseas, mostly to customers in the United States, a U.S. Embassy
spokeswoman said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Six people have also been arrested in the United States for allegedly
buying drugs from a Thai Internet pharmacy, she said.

``Many of these Internet pharmacies are fly-by-night operations set up
overseas to avoid U.S. law,'' U.S. Customs Service Commissioner Raymond
Kelly said in Washington. ``They have little regard for patient safety.
They're only interested in making a fast buck, then moving on to the next
victim.''

At one of the targets, Bangkok-based Vitality Health Products, 80 percent
of online sales went to U.S. buyers, said Kevin Delli-Colli, director of
Customs cybersmuggling center in Fairfax, VA.

``We're seeing Valium, fen-phen (the diet drug), Viagra and a lot of
anabolic steroids,'' Delli-Colli said. In some cases, the quantities
involved ``suggest people are buying them for distribution.''

Prescription drugs are readily available over the counter in Thai
pharmacies, despite growing government efforts to regulate pharmaceutical
sales.

The 22 suspects, arrested from November through January after almost six
months of investigation, face up to five years in jail for violating Thai
export regulations, a Thai customs investigator said on condition of
anonymity.

U.S. authorities are additionally preparing indictments, as the suspects
are also liable for prosecution under U.S. law, the embassy spokeswoman
said.

Thai Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan said his government, which is hosting
a meeting this week of 20 Asia-Pacific nations on fighting cross-border
crime, pledged full support for further cooperation on illegal Internet
sales.

``Certainly the cooperation is two-way: we inform each other of the
various violations of this nature,'' he said in an interview. The
cooperation extends to other crimes as well, such as U.S. tourists who
visit Thailand for sex with children, he said.

Thailand and the United States began their joint investigation of online
pharmacies after Thai customs officers intercepted parcels of drugs being
mailed to the United States in May 1999.

U.S. Customs seized 9,725 packages with prescription drugs mailed to the
United States in 1999, compared with 2,145 packages in 1998.

Authorities did not release details about the companies involved in the
recent raid.

Among those arrested in Thailand was a Singaporean national who ran one of
the online pharmacies. A British national, who fled the country, the Thai
customs officer said, operated another company.

Dozens of computers and large quantities of drugs, including Viagra and
the tranquilizers Xanax and Valium, were seized, he said.

Joint investigations were continuing to identify more online pharmacies
suspected of operating illegally in Thailand, the embassy spokeswoman
said.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced in February it had sent
e-mails to a dozen operators of foreign-based Internet drugstores, warning
them they may be engaged in activities illegal under U.S. law.

FDA LAUNCHES "CYBER" LETTERS AGAINST POTENTIALLY ILLEGAL, FOREIGN-BASED
ONLINE DRUG SITES

In recent weeks FDA has issued "cyber" letters -- letters sent
electronically via the Internet -- to a dozen operators of foreign-based
internet sites that offer to sell online prescription drugs that may be
illegal. The letters warn these website operators that they may be engaged
in illegal activities, and informs them of the laws that govern
prescription drug sales in the United States. This is the first time the
FDA has used the Internet as a means for reaching those who are
potentially violating the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. It
represents a new stage in the agency's efforts to protect the public
against illegal and potentially dangerous products sold through websites.

In each of these internet cases, FDA sent letters electronically to the
domain holders for sites it had determined may be engaged in illegal
activity such as offering to sell prescription drugs to U.S. citizens
without valid (or in some cases without any) prescriptions. Through
various means, the agency has gained the ability to identify and monitor
these sites. These drugs could pose a serious risk to patients,
particularly if used without proper medical supervision.

The "cyber" letters sent are electronic versions that are similar to
traditional "warning" or "untitled" letters, which the agency has long
sent to organizations or individuals it believes are engaged in violative
activities. These letters usually outline the nature of the alleged
violation and request a formal response.

The "cyber" letters also provided these foreign operators with an
explanation of the statutory provisions that govern interstate commerce of
drugs in the United States, as well as a warning that future shipments of
their products to this country may be automatically detained and subject
to refusal of entry.

Hard copies of each "cyber" letter are sent to the website operator, the
U.S. Customs Service and to regulatory officials in the country in which
the operator is based.

To date, FDA has already received one response from a "cyber" letter
recipient indicating that it will cease its illegal activities.

FDA may also use this approach in its ongoing efforts to prevent illegal
sales of prescription drugs by domestic websites.

posted March 28, 2000 09:49 AM            

P.S.
how did u paste that whole letter on the board??