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News -
International routes and rings
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Written by Catalina Lobo-Guerrero
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Friday, 06 February 2009 22:19 |
Costa Rica, the tourist paradise known for its beaches and rainforests, is also becoming an Eden for illegal online pharmacies.
- Affpower, a notorious online drug network, was operating from Costa Rica before it got busted in 2007. Its manager, Mark Anthony Heredia, had been living in the capital, San José, since 1997. However, when La Nación´s reporters checked if the company was registered at the Colegio de Farmacéuticos- the entity that regulates pharmacies in the country- they found no trace of Affpower.
- In December of that same year, Costa Rica’s police captured six members of an illegal pharmaceutical drug ring led by two Costa Rican nationals and 4 foreigners (a couple from Colombia and 2 Americans). The group imported medicines from neighboring Guatemala, repacked them and mailed them to several U.S. cities.
- In April 2007, DEA and Costa Rican authorities worked together to capture the members of another ring that included dealers from Costa Rica, the U.S. and Italy. They used the Costa RIcan postal service to mail 17.000 capsules imported from Guatemala.
While the Costa RIcan press began reporting on online drug scams only since 2007, the businesses have been operating in the country for some time. In 2005, a drug ring that hosted its web site in Costa Rica was busted by the police. There are some reasons why Costa Rica is attractive to illegal Internet drugstores. The country's loose regulations make it easy for foreign businesses to operate in the country. The country's proximity to cheap drug production countries like Guatemala and the lax surveillance and regulation by local authorities also make it the ideal hub for the illegal pharmacy trade. |
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Last Updated on Monday, 09 February 2009 17:41 |
