Counterfeit prescription drugs coming into Colorado

DENVER - Fake drugs are coming into Colorado from all over the world.

Those are the findings of investigators with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

"We have a number of ongoing investigations," said Kumar Kibble, Special Agent in charge of ICE-HSI in Denver.

ICE-HSI, in partnership with the Department of Justice, seized 686 websites that were illegally selling counterfeit medications.

Project "Bitter Pill" is part of a global law enforcement operation known as "Pangea V."

According to an ICE press release, "Pangea is an annual operation aimed at disrupting the organized crime networks behind the illicit online sale of fake drugs. Worldwide, preliminary results show Pangea has accounted for 79 arrests and the seizure of 3.7 million doses of potentially life-threatening counterfeit medicines worth an estimated value of $10.5 million. Additionally, approximately 18,000 websites engaged in illegal sale of counterfeit drugs were taken down."

Kibble says those sites will sell counterfeit drugs to anyone, even people without a prescription.

"Their money is going to fund an organized criminal network that is then using those proceeds to continue to push fake and potentially harmful drugs around the world," Kibble said.

A quick Google search will pop up thousands of sites where anyone can buy medication without a prescription.

Just a few clicks and you'll find thousands of websites selling discount drugs.

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Counterfeit prescription drugs coming into Colorado