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Sen. Schumer Calls For DOJ Probe, More Funding To Combat Cyber Drug Sales

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Following an investigation that suggests illicit drugs have flooded Long Island through illegal online marketplaces, Sen. Charles Schumer has called for a thorough review by the Department of Justice into how these marketplaces continue to thrive.

As 1010 WINS' Mona Rivera reported, the feds may have busted Silk Road a year ago, but Schumer said online drug sales are flourishing.

"Since we knocked out Silk Road, the number of copy cat websites that also sell illegal drugs has also skyrocketed," the lawmaker said on Monday.

Sen. Schumer Calls For DOJ Probe, More Funding To Combat Cyber Drug Sales

Joni Kovacs, a Long Island mother who lost her son Steven to a prescription drug overdose five years ago, said her daughter just recently showed her how easy it is to buy heroin and other drugs online.

"She takes me to the web, to I think it was Secret Wiki under the tour browser, and I was amazed at what I was seeing," she said. "Heroin from Afghan, Oxycontin; every kind of drug you can imagine."

Kovacs said more kids are going to do die if online drug sites aren't shut down.

Schumer said he plans to seek more funding in the next fiscal year to fight cyber drug dealers, so that the Department of Justice, FBI and DEA have enough resources to combat the illegal marketplaces.

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