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eBay to pay $59m over sales of pill-making tools

The government accused eBay of making it too easy to buy equipment for producing counterfeit pills.

The US justice department had alleged that thousands of pill presses and encapsulating machines were sold on the site, including to people who were later convicted of drug-related crimes. "Counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl are a significant contributor to the deadly overdose epidemic," said Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta, warning that the department "is committed to using all available enforcement measures" to ensure companies selling pill-making equipment follow the law. Specifically, the e-commerce giant failed to comply with the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), which requires companies to keep strict records and report them to the Drug Enforcement Administration, federal prosecutors alleged.

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