Google Settles With Justice Department, Hands Over $500 Million

Google has agreed to pay the U.S. government $500 million amid charges that the internet giant broke the law by featuring ads inside the U.S. for online Canadian pharmacies.

“The shipment of prescription drugs from pharmacies outside the United States to customers in the United States typically violates the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and in the case of controlled prescription drugs , the Controlled Substances Act,” the Justice Department said in a statement Wednesday. “Google was aware as early as 2003, that generally, it was illegal for pharmacies to ship controlled and non-controlled prescription drugs into the United States from Canada.”

According to Federal investigators, Google offered the pharmacies direct assistance with both their advertisements and their web presence.

In addition to the $500 million settlement, Google was required to enact compliance and reporting measures to ensure similar ads aren’t featured in the future.