U.S. Senate investigation finds opioid purchases easy via U.S. mail

A report released this week by the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, chaired by Sen. Rob Portman, R–Ohio, found that online purchases of opioids from Chinese websites is stunningly easy and that the U.S. has embarrassingly few tools to keep those drugs out (Source: “Opioids entering U.S. by mail with little resistance, report says,” Canton Repository, Jan. 24, 2018).

Senate staff conducted their investigation by reaching out to a handful of websites they found through a Google search. They quickly identified six websites selling opioids, all in China, which the Drug Enforcement Agency reports is the top source of opioids from overseas. Investigators found it stunningly easy to engage with drug dealers online, with companies replying to requests for information in some cases in only a few minutes. Overseas sellers preferred payment in the digital currency bitcoin, but in some cases were willing to accept Western Union, PayPal and even credit cards for their products.