Drug Scam Victims Ante Up $100,000 to Avoid Prosecution

Victims of a massive drug scam in which people who order prescription drugs online have been threatened with extradition and prosecution by people posing as DEA agents -- and have been extorted for as much as $100,000 ... DEA officials tell TMZ.

TMZ broke the story ... criminals posing as DEA agents have infiltrated websites selling online prescriptions and contacted hundreds of people, telling them they have been indicted in the Dominican Republic for illegal drug purchases but the judge will accept a civil fine in lieu of prosecution.

We're told the fines demanded generally range between $2,500 and $25,000, although some of the demands were for $100,000.

DEA officials say the scope of the scam is massive -- 2,000 people have complained about being victimized in the last year alone. Of course, the DEA has no idea how many panicked victims paid the "fines" without ever complaining.

We're told the Feds have indicted 11 Dominicans for criminal conspiracy involving wire fraud, but none have been arrested -- at least not yet.