WASHINGTON -- The Food and Drug Administration reported that mail-order drugs imported into the county may be dangerous.

Officials said 88 percent of the drugs stopped at the border in a special crackdown were illegal.

These examinations were conducted in the Miami and New York (JFK) mail facilities from July 29 to 31, 2003, and the San Francisco, and Carson, Calif., mail facilities from Aug. 5 to 7, 2003. Officials identified packages likely to contain drug products from countries from which drugs are known to be exported via the mail.

Of the 1,153 imported drug products examined, officials found that 1,019 contained unapproved drugs. They said they found drugs that have been withdrawn from the U.S. market, animal drugs never approved for humans, counterfeit drugs, drugs with dangerous interactions, drugs with dangerous side effects and narcotics.

The drugs came from several countries --15.8 percent came from Canada; 14.3 percent from India; 13.8 percent from Thailand; and 8 percent from the Philippines.

Imported drugs have become a hot political issue in recent years with many Americans seeking lower-cost products from foreign sources.

Buying drugs from Canada is particularly popular because U.S.-produced drugs cost less there.

"There is no evidence that unapproved imported drugs are becoming any safer or more reliable," said Dr. Mark McClellan, FDA commissioner. "Given FDA's limited resources and authorities to detect and block potentially unsafe imports, we are concerned about any measures that would increase the flow of these unapproved drugs, or provide easier channels for them to enter the United States."

A congressman who is sponsoring legislation to ease importation rules said the FDA is trying "to undermine a legislative initiative the American people desperately want and need."

The FDA and U.S. Customs and Border Protection do not have the resources to examine all mailed packages because of the huge volume of parcels entering the United States through international mail and courier services, the time requirements for processing and returning illegally imported drugs, and multiple, competing enforcement priorities. For example, the Carson, Calif., mail facility alone receives over 10,000 parcels per day.