In an aggressive step against businesses selling drugs online, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, took legal action earlier this month against more than 4,100 websites this week that led to criminal charges, seizures of illegal products, and hundreds of domain name seizures.

This year Operation Pangea V, a campaign of law enforcement agencies across the globe to counter the global international prescription trade, resulted in the shutdown of over 18,000 unauthorized pharmacy websites and the confiscation of around $10.5 million worth of pharmaceuticals in 100 countries worldwide. Operation Bitter Pill, a federal law enforcement initiative that is part of Operation Pangea V, seized 686 domain names this week as part of the operation, bringing the total number of domain names seized by the domestic operation to 1,525.

The drugs being offered on the websites included such medications as antibiotics, anti-cancer medications, weight loss and food supplements, and erectile dysfunction pills, authorities said.

The FDA had sent warning letters to the managers of 4,100 websites in late September, warning them that products for sale on their sites were in violation of U.S. law. A copy of the letter that the FDA sent to one site can be viewed here.

The agency also sent notices to registries, Internet service providers, and domain name registrars notifying them as well.

Visitors to the websites that have been the subject of domain name seizures will now see an image informing them that the site has knowingly trafficked counterfeit goods, which is a federal crime. Customers were not targeted as part of the investigation. A government spokesman said they were considered to be unwitting victims who were simply purchasing drugs that they thought would be helpful for their conditions.

We don’t endorse counterfeit drugs or trademark violations. But we are concerned that broad domain name seizures, such as those in Operation Bitter Pill, could potentially shut down legitimate businesses and leave them without an online presence for a long period of time until they are able to obtain legal relief. Companies that operate solely with an online presence could see dramatic and potentially crippling effects on their business.  We have previously discussed this issue here, for example.

As digital rights groups have repeatedly noted, seizures such as these can run roughshod over the constitutional rights of website operators, including their First Amendment rights, and need to be undertaken by the government, if at all, with an understanding that a seizure of a domain name is not the same thing as the seizure of a truckload full of illegal drugs.

Previously, domain name seizures had been used in investigations by other federal agencies such as the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the U.S. Department of Justice, and the Federal Trade Commission. The practice appears to be expanding.

Only if the courts provide an adequate check on the powers of the federal government can it be assured that individuals are afforded their due process rights in cases such as this one.

Ifrah Law is a leading white-collar criminal defense firm that specializes in online piracy.