AMSTERDAM (Reuters) -Dutch prosecutors on Monday said they were investigating at least 49 deaths that might be linked to an illegal pharmaceuticals webshop that was taken down in August. In a court
Dutch Authorities Investigate 49 Deaths Linked to Illegal Drug Website
Investigation of Illegal Pharmaceuticals
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) -Dutch prosecutors on Monday said they were investigating at least 49 deaths that might be linked to an illegal pharmaceuticals webshop that was taken down in August.
Link to Young People's Deaths
In a court case against the owners of the website Funcaps.nl, prosecutors said they saw a strong link between the deaths of 27 mostly young people and the use of products they ordered on Funcaps.
Arrests and Legal Proceedings
During their investigation, police databases turned up another 22 cases that could also be related to the website, while in recent days parents of four other deceased people reported a possible link, they said.
Nature of Products Sold
The owners of the website were arrested in August and are suspected of dealing in medicines without a license and of selling medicines without the necessary prescriptions.
Defense Claims by Suspects' Lawyer
They are also seen to have been dealing in designer drugs, substances that are almost complete copies of illegal drugs with just enough minor tweaks to make them legal.
The suspects' lawyer could not immediately be reached but Dutch media reported that he told the court his clients had always been open about the products they were selling on their website, which also carried warnings about the risks associated with the products.
(Reporting by Bart Meijer, Charlotte Van Campenhout, Editing by Franklin Paul)
