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Tag: online marketplace

  • "Drug Llama" Allegedly Sold 50,000 Fentanyl Pills On Dark Web

    "Drug Llama" Allegedly Sold 50,000 Fentanyl Pills On Dark Web

    Investigators say the woman who reportedly calls herself “The Drug Llama” also sold Oxy, Percs and amphetamines through a dark web marketplace.

    A California woman known on the dark web as “The Drug Llama” is accused of shipping more than 50,000 fentanyl pills to consumers across the United States since 2016. 

    Melissa Scanlan, 31, is facing federal charges in Illinois and is also being investigated for two deaths in San Diego, where she lives, according to The San Diego Union Tribune.

    In those cases, investigators allege that she sold fentanyl that led to the deaths of a 10-month-old boy and a 41-year-old woman. The baby died after his father bought fentanyl—allegedly from Scanlan—and left it within reach of the child. The boy was found unresponsive in his parents’ bed.  

    These might be two of many deaths allegedly caused by Scanlan’s drugs. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sherri Hobson told a federal judge that Scanlan has trafficked more than 50,000 fentanyl pills, although the indictment against her only covers 400 grams of fentanyl. 

    Scanlan was the subject of a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) undercover operation in both San Diego and St. Louis. As the scope of the investigation expanded, the Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Department of Homeland Security also became involved. 

    Investigators say that Scanlan was selling drugs on the dark web marketplace called Dream Market, where she was known as “The Drug Llama.”

    In addition to selling fentanyl, she also offered oxycodone, amphetamines, morphine, Percocet, temazepam, flexeril, and an “opiate powder pack,” according to federal documents. Her fentanyl was pressed into blue pills that were disguised as oxycodone. The drugs arrived in leather pouches much like those sold by a company Scanlan owns. 

    Federal investigators ordered drugs from the “Llama” in July and were able to track Scanlan using the return address on the packages. The address listed was associated with an old business of Scanlan’s, and the name listed—Samantha Cooper—was later found to be the names of her two dogs. A Paypal account also linked Scanlan processed thousands of drug-related transactions. 

    In August, Scanlan was arrested on state drug charges after a search of her home. However, shortly after she was released she traveled to Mexico to arrange the shipment of more fentanyl to her house, and redirected her customers to another dark web marketplace where they could purchase the drugs. 

    She was arrested again on September 4 and admitted to buying fentanyl from a Mexican cartel. This time, federal prosecutors are arguing that she is a flight risk and a danger, noting that Scanlan is five months pregnant but continuing to engage in criminal activity. 

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Tech Companies Dispute Playing Major Role In Opioid Crisis

    Tech Companies Dispute Playing Major Role In Opioid Crisis

    “The opioid epidemic is, in a majority of cases, primarily an offline problem,” said a representative of the Internet Association.

    A summit on Wednesday, June 27, hosted by the Food and Drug Administration, was predicted to draw representatives from Facebook, Google and Twitter, among other relevant tech companies, as well as academics, lobbyists and government officials. 

    According to Wired, the FDA said the summit was meant to encourage tech officials to “discuss ways to collaboratively take stronger action” when it comes to illegal opioids in the online market.

    However, there was some controversy around the summit due to tech and pharmaceutical companies disagreeing about who was more responsible for the opioid crisis. 

    Initially, the invitation for the summit stated that the FDA planned to ask tech companies to sign what it called a “Pledge to Reduce the Availability of Illicit Opioids Online,” which would be published 30 days after the summit. 

    However, after discussing it with tech companies, the FDA decided not to follow through with the plan. 

    “We will consolidate the feedback and ideas discussed at the summit and turn it into an actionable plan—not just for those in the room but for all internet stakeholders to join,” an FDA spokesperson said, according to Wired.

    The involvement of the tech industry in the opioid crisis has been a topic of discussion in the past few months in Washington, D.C., Wired states. 

    Back in April, at the National Rx Drug Abuse and Heroin Summit, FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb said that tech companies had not been “proactive enough” when it came to getting rid of illegal drugs online.

    Additionally, earlier this month the FDA sent letters to nine companies operating 53 online pharmacies, and instructed them to cease the marketing of opioids. 

    But tech companies are fighting back, claiming they aren’t to blame. On Tuesday, June 26, the Internet Association—which represents tech companies like Twitter, Google, Facebook Reddit and more—held a call with reporters prior to the summit.

    “The opioid epidemic is, in a majority of cases, primarily an offline problem,” said a representative of the Association, according to Wired. The representative cited research by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), which stated that most people misusing opioids get them from non-online sources. 

    Of those sales that are taking place online, the Center for Safe Internet Pharmacies cited a report stating that most of them are happening on the dark web. Additionally, the report found that some of the “open” web sites claim to sell opioids but actually do not, and instead steal people’s information.

    Despite some tech companies claiming they are not to blame, some steps have been taken to eliminate opioid sales online. Google promoted the DEA’s Drug Take-Back Day in April with a special tool on its homepage.

    Additionally, Facebook recently announced it would redirect users who are trying to buy opioids on the platform to a help hotline, and Instagram has begun monitoring hashtags related to opioids. 

    Libby Baney, an advisor to the Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies, tells Wired that this is a start but companies also need to acknowledge the role they have played. 

    “This is a historic opportunity to do more with what we already know is true,” she said. “If it ends up being us versus them and there’s pointing fingers and a lot of ‘We’re already doing this or that,’ that’s an old-school way of thinking that isn’t responsive to the public health need.”

    View the original article at thefix.com