cation. He sent copies of the application to FedEx. In mid-June, the bomb dropped, in the form of an official response letter:

Pleased be advised that FedEx is terminating ALL services for the above-referenced account number. The termination is effec- tive immediately. FedEx has been informed that you are ship- ping controlled substances in violation of Federal law.

Like any online retail startup, Le Roux's business had been built on the rise of easy shipping. Without it, the company would col- lapse. Oz and Berkman hustled to switch shipments to other carri- ers, but all of them were pressing for proof that nothing illegal was being shipped. RX Limited was going to need new ways to ship drugs, and fast.

This, then, would be McConnell's new job. He knew nothing about the online pharmacy business, but Le Roux deemed him competent enough to find new ways to keep it operating. McCon- nell, now terrified of crossing Le Roux after he'd narrowly escaped Dave Smith's fate, was in no position to object. He flew to Miami and met with Omer Bezalel, and they quickly opened a new set of companies, using dummy credentials for Robert McGowan. Le Roux also sent a list of U.S. social security numbers that could be used to set up credit cards. He supplied instructions on purchasing burner phones and obtaining new email addresses, in case the DEA was watching. "If you obey these instructions all phone/email communication will be untraceable," he wrote.

Bezalel and McConnell, however, were out of their depth. Their shipping schemes became increasingly extravagant, involving hired couriers who would pick up orders at RX Limited pharmacies and then spread them across FedEx drop-offs to avoid the suspicion of bulk purchases. They instructed the couriers on what size cars they would need—something with a big trunk—and what to do, if they encountered the police. They filled out piles of paperwork in the futile hope of somehow scamming their way into VIPPS certifica-