eBay to Pay $59 Million in Settlement Over Illegal Pill Press Sales

The settlement, the fourth largest under the CSA and the first-ever with an e-commerce company, follows allegations that eBay failed to comply with CSA requirements, leading to the sale of equipment used to manufacture illegal drugs.

eBay has agreed to pay $59 million to settle allegations that it violated the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) by selling pill presses and encapsulating machines, which can be used to manufacture illegal drugs, including counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl.
The settlement is the fourth largest under the CSA and the first-ever with an e-commerce company.
The DOJ alleged that eBay failed to comply with CSA requirements for thousands of devices sold through its website, including high-capacity pill presses capable of producing thousands of pills per hour.
Many people who bought pill presses on eBay have since been prosecuted in connection with trafficking illegal counterfeit pills.
As part of the settlement, eBay has also agreed to enhance its compliance program to prevent the sale of equipment that can be used in the illegal manufacture of counterfeit pharmaceuticals.