A US court has indicted the operator of an illegal online pharmacy for conspiring to distribute controlled substances.

Jorge Alan Rodriguez Sanchez, 32, faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 on each count.

Rodriguez established an email account in 2002 through which he allegedly sold narcotic prescription drugs, such as Oxycontin, and other controlled substances to customers without prescriptions or legitimate medical uses.

The indictment alleges that customers purchased drugs by placing orders via emails sent to Rodriguez's account.

Customers most frequently requested Oxycodone, a highly controlled pain killer commonly sold under the brand names Oxycontin, Percocet and Endocet.

The defendant also sold other prescription drugs such as Vicodin, Valium, Ritalin and Xanax, according to court documents.

Customers were requested to wire payment for the drugs to Rodriguez and other co-conspirators through Western Union.

Rodriguez did not require a prescription or physical examination by a licensed physician from any of his customers.

The defendant retrieved the money at a Western Union location in Mexico, but shipped the drugs from southern California to customers throughout the US.