Federal Authorities Charge FedEx for Shipping Illegal Prescription Painkillers

On Thursday, July 17th, federal authorities charged FedEx with shipping prescription painkillers from illegal online pharmacies.

The federal indictment was filed in San Francisco, and alleges that the Memphis, TN-based shipping company conspired with two online pharmacies to fill illegal prescriptions for narcotic painkillers for 10 years, ending in 2010.

UPS, a rival shipping company, paid $40 million to the federal government last year for similar charges. The company said that it would take steps for verify the legality of pharmaceutical shipments, especially for addictive drugs like prescription painkillers. In a similar investigation, Google Inc paid $500 million in 2011 to settle allegations with the Department of Justice that it profited from ads posted through its advertising service for illegal online pharmacies.

FedEx has, so far, insisted that it did nothing wrong, as there is no good way to verify the legality of prescription painkiller or other prescription drug shipments.

“We will plead not guilty. We will defend against this attack on the integrity and good name of FedEx and its employees,” company spokesman Patrick Fitzgerald said in a written statement. He added that the company shouldn’t be in charge of “assuming criminal responsibility” for every delivery.

Fitzgerald further stated that the federal government has refused to give FedEx a list of the illegal online pharmacies, so the company could track the alleged prescription painkiller shipments. However, the Department of Justice says that federal agents have been telling FedEx about illegal prescription painkiller shipments since 2004, and that couriers in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia warned executives about suspicious deliveries.

The federal filing stems from investigations into numerous online pharmacies that popped up suddenly in San Francisco in 2005. Dozens of arrests have been made, thousands of websites shut down, and tens of millions of dollars’ worth of pills have been seized globally.

South Carolina, More Southern States, Have Worst Rates of Prescription Painkiller Addiction

A report published on Tuesday, July 8th, analyzed rates of opioid prescriptions across the nation in 2012, and while Florida – previously one of the worst offenders – appeared to have cleaned up its act, other Southern states, including South Carolina, ranked among the worst offenders for rates of prescription painkiller addiction.

The report studied prescription rates for painkillers such as Vicodin, Percocet, and OxyContin. The highest rates of prescription painkiller abuse came from Alabama, where providers wrote 143 prescriptions for every 100 residents. Hawaii had the fewest prescriptions for opioid painkillers, with 53 prescriptions for every 100 residents. Other low states included California and New York, while other high states included South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia.

US Healthcare providers wrote 259 million prescriptions for opioid painkillers in 2012, according to the CDC, which is enough to give a bottle of prescription painkillers to every adult in the country.

The CDC said that the varying rates of prescription painkillers did not correlate with variations in painful injuries or chronic illnesses. Rates of pain are spread evenly across the US, the government agency said, and the prescription painkiller rates instead reflect inappropriate prescribing practices.

The Strom Law Firm Protects Against Prescription Painkiller Abuse Charges

Being arrested for prescription painkiller abuse is something that can be devastating financially and emotionally, and can have long-lasting personal and professional consequences. We understand what you are going through, and we are here to help. We will investigate your case from every angle, determine whether an illegal search took place and seek to have your charges reduced or even dismissed. We offer free, confidential consultations to discuss the facts of your case, so call us today at 803.252.4800.