CVS fined for sale of meth ingredient

Woonsocket, R.I. A report released Thursday said that CVS Pharmacy has agreed to pay $75 million in fines for allowing repeated purchases of a key ingredient in the making of methamphetamine.

According to a report by the Associated Press, the violations occurred in at least five states and led to a spike in Southern California drug trafficking.

In agreeing to the fine, CVS will pay what federal prosecutors said was the largest civil penalty ever assessed under the Controlled Substances Act. The company also will forfeit about $2.6 million in profits earned from the sales of pseudoephedrine, which can often be found in cold medicine and is used to make meth.

Authorities said CVS didn't provide enough safeguards to monitor how much pseudoephedrine someone was buying, and the company violated federal drug regulations in Arizona; Georgia; California; Nevada; South Carolina; and possibly 20 other states.

The company is expected to pay the $75 million fine by Friday. The remaining forfeiture is due within 30 days. By agreeing to pay the fine, it will not face potential criminal charges and the company will implement a compliance and ethics program over the next three years.