Found this article in the Wall Street Journal. Before everyone gets upset they are talking about pharmicies that do not require RXes.



January 9, 2004

FedEx and UPS Say They Shun
Parcels Containing Illicit Drugs

By RICK BROOKS
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

FedEx Corp. and United Parcel Service Inc. told lawmakers that they are taking steps to crack down on illicit Internet pharmacies that send drugs using the trucks and planes of the delivery companies, including refusing to carry shipments from some drug sellers.

The push to root out illegal drugs by the two companies, which carry about 75% of all air and ground packages in the U.S., comes amid growing scrutiny of the delivery industry's role as a middleman in the drug-supply chain. Some lawmakers and regulators are worried that FedEx and UPS are irresistible targets for sellers of controlled substances and importers of large amounts of prescription drugs.

Last month, the House Energy and Commerce Committee asked the two delivery providers and credit-card companies MasterCard International Inc. and Visa International to show what they are doing to stop the flow. The Food and Drug Administration also is seeking help from the companies, though the agency has little regulatory leverage over the package and credit-card industries.

In its response to the House committee, UPS, Atlanta, said it notifies law-enforcement officials whenever it discovers a shipment containing illegal drugs. The company also is trying to "discourage" Internet pharmacies that appear to be defying U.S. laws from using UPS, according to a letter the company sent to the House committee last week.

UPS's tactics include sending cease-and-desist letters to Internet pharmacies that steer their shipments through UPS but don't demand prescriptions from customers. UPS is warning drug sellers to comply with federal laws or else risk being dumped as UPS customers. A UPS spokesman wouldn't disclose the number of suspicious-looking Internet pharmacies that have been contacted or dropped by the delivery company.

FedEx has told lawmakers that it has intensified its efforts to go after Internet pharmacies that use its logo on their Web sites, which FedEx doesn't allow. The Memphis, Tenn., company also has "ceased doing business" with a handful of Internet pharmacies. FedEx wouldn't identify those customers.

A House Energy and Commerce Committee spokesman declined to comment on FedEx and UPS efforts to help spot illegal drug shipments, saying the panel is waiting for formal responses from Visa and MasterCard, which it asked for by Friday.

A spokeswoman for Visa, which, like MasterCard, is an association of member banks, said it takes "immediate action" whenever it is "alerted that a merchant has submitted an illegal transaction." MasterCard declined to comment.

It isn't clear yet whether the delivery and credit-card providers will be willing to provide the FDA or other agencies with much more information than they do already about their ties to questionable Internet pharmacies. "This is not intended to be a 'gotcha' on UPS and FedEx," said William Hubbard, the FDA's associate commissioner for policy. "It's more trying to understand what's happening here, what they know and what they might be able to do."

political BS...

I had a whole reply to this but I decided against it.

yeah to that spike.

Most Op's are not selling "illegal drugs" that are given "without a prescription."

You're right - I see that now. I kinda skimmed the article at 1st glance.

And they plan on implementing procedures to verify a companies legal guidelines are in place before scheduling a pick up....please

What do I have to bring with me to the UPS store before I can ship something? A contract lawyer?

It�s a joke. Illegal drugs have been shipped via UPS and FedEx for years. They can�t even stop that.

It�s all political

Blondie- this is not just about illegal drugdealers. It is about pharmacies that are not operating within the law. They DO mention Buymeds. I thought I posted this here but posted on another forum. This is from the Boston Herald December 14th 2003. I posted it a week later.


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Scary stuff!
For those who did not read it. It wasnt your typical "poor,stay at home mother fed addiction through online op.. yada yada....." Of course it mentions some of that.
What WAS VERY interesting was the DEA/ LE?? told the reporter that letters had been written to Fedex, ups, visa, mastercard and everyone along the lines who are contributing to this "illegal" activity. It mentioned ordering from Buymeds and two others. The other 2 I cant remember the names (sorry) but they were IOP's. At the time I did look up one of the sites that they said they ordered vicodin from and it was an IOP and it wasnt REALLY hydro. I think it was codeine. Another one sided article.
At the time, I thought I could just bring up the article when I needed to reference it for this post. WRONG! This was in last Sundays Boston Herald. It was printed before the news of Saddam had broke. During the day the E-edition switched to the Saddam headline and this article was missing. Now it is in the archives and if you want to view it you will need to purchase it for $2.95. Greedy Herald!!! I had already purchased the paper version for $2.
Do you think the "letter scare" will affect OP's in the immediate future? I cant imagine fedex, ups,etc... getting in trouble. They have sooooo many packages everyday all day. What do you all think?
Toodles
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