Well this all gets even stickier if you foster in the notion that some states are INFLUENCING their residents to use Canadian (which are non-us) pharmacies. And that some legitimate drug sales do take place through the mail.

I think alot of it boils down to who is running the operation and whether they're "covered" or not. When you're dealing with an escort service that has ads all over the place, they are so blatantly obvious that you know they must have connections to stay in business. Although it's not that cut and dry with IOP's, it makes a big difference. The major caveat being that the package will see so many hands. But overall, you're right, the cost has to somehow be justified in the criminal system. The gov. works much like a big company - always claiming to "care" about the little guy but in the end operating from a cost-effective motivation.