EBay will pay $59 million settlement over pill presses sold online as US undergoes overdose epidemic

By LINDSAY WHITEHURST
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The e-commerce giant eBay will pay a $59 million in a settlement with the Justice Department over thousands of pill press machines sold on the the platform. Federal authorities said Wednesday the machines can be used to manufacture counterfeit pills that look just like prescription pills but instead are laced with substances like fentanyl, a synthetic opioid drug largely fueling the deadliest overdose crisis in U.S. history. The Justice Department says eBay failed to follow laws requiring verification buyers’ identities and people who bought pill presses there have been charged in drug trafficking cases. EBay maintains it did not break the law and also took its own steps to remove pill-making equipment.