SOMERS POINT, N.J. (AP) _ The nation's shortage of flu vaccine has led to massive lines of hopeful recipients waiting hours for the precious doses.
In New Jersey, some communities even used lotteries to distribute their scarce allocations of the inoculations this season.
But when officials at Shore Memorial Hospital were approached this month with an offer to buy more of the vaccine, they did not jump at the chance. The drug was being offered through unfamiliar channels, and hospital officials called authorities.
``From the initial contact, it lit us up like a Christmas tree,'' said Albert Gutierrez, the hospital's president and CEO.
Authorities say someone who smuggled hundreds of doses of the vaccine into the United States hoped to sell it to Shore Memorial. The scheme became known Monday night when federal agents searched a home in this shore community as part of the investigation.
The vaccine was apparently brought into the United States in an ill-fated attempt to capitalize on the severe shortage of flu vaccine that resulted when the country's seasonal supply was cut in half because of contamination at a British plant.
``It's despicable,'' Gutierrez said. ``It gets me angry.''
Because of the shortage, health officials have tried to restrict supplies to only those in high-risk groups, including the elderly, infants and those in poor health. And in some places, there have been long waits for even those groups to be inoculated.
No arrests had been made in the case by Tuesday evening.
The vaccine was intercepted by authorities when it arrived in the United States through a commercial shipping company, said Marc Raimondi, spokesman for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
``We feel pretty confident this is the only shipment with this investigation,'' Raimondi said. And none entered the nation's supply of vaccine, Raimondi said.
The vaccine was authentic but did not have clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Raimondi said.
Even authentic vaccine that's not handled according to strict protocol and kept at the right temperature can be ineffective _ or can cause either localized infections or infections throughout a person's bloodstream.
``You could get very sick,'' Gutierrez said.
He said his hospital is expecting more vaccine, which it plans to distribute through clinics in the surrounding area.
All questions to local police and county prosecutors on the investigation Tuesday were referred to federal authorities.
Neighbors said they saw agents remove several boxes from the house that was the subject of the search warrant on Monday night. Authorities said the search was conducted by officials from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security.
Nobody answered the front door at the searched home Tuesday morning. Several cars, an all-terrain vehicle and children's bicycles were outside the house, which is on a quiet residential street near an entrance to the Garden State Parkway.
Neighbors said several people seemed to live in the blue, two-story home.
``They're nice people,'' said Frank Rodriguez, who lives across the street. ``I'm just shocked, to tell you the truth.''
