Spotlight

New Delhi, 16 March 2007

NARCOTIC DRUGS SALE THROUGH INTERNET

NEW DELHI, March 17 (INFA): Illicit sale of pharmaceuticals containing controlled narcotic drugs and psychotropic substance through the internet and by mail is continuing unabated, according to International Narcotics Control Board.

Many pharmaceutical preparations containing controlled substances continue to be sold by illegally operating Internet pharmacies and distributed to customers by mail. The Board notes with appreciation that smuggling by mail is increasingly recognized by national authorities as a method of drug trafficking and constitutes a major problem for law enforcement authorities.

In 2005, 80 individual consignments of psychotropic substances that had been smuggled by mail were seized in Australia, New Zealand and Thailand.

Most of those cases (32 seizures made in Thailand) involved diazepam. In 2006, four consignments of Phenobarbital smuggled by mail from the Democratic Republic of the Congo were seized in Belgium. Three consignments of ATS were seized in New Zealand.

In view of the global nature of the use of the mail for illicit drug trafficking, concerted action by the international community is urgently required. In particular, there is a need to establish a mechanism that will ensure the sharing of experiences and the rapid exchange of information on specific cases, as well as the standardization of data collected.

The Board notes with appreciation that each of the responding Governments has nominated a focal point to be contacted in cases involving suspected illegal sales by Internet pharmacies.

Forty per cent of the responding Governments reported having in place legislations for dealing with illegal Internet pharmacies.

While six Governments reported that the purchase of controlled drugs through Internet pharmacies was allowed under their national legislation, 87 per cent of all the responding Governments confirmed that their national legislations included licensing/registration conditions that required Internet service providers to close down illegally operating Internet sites.

Nine of the responding Governments reported that the use of the mail for importing and exporting controlled drugs was allowed, provided that the transactions had been duly authorized by the competent authorities.

However, 56 per cent of the responding Governments considered that their national legislative provisions did not provide adequate sanctions against the diversion and illegal sales of controlled drugs by Internet pharmacies, and only 9 per cent reported having in place a mechanism for voluntary cooperation between the competent authorities and manufacturers and wholesalers.---INFA