Hell Fire Labs operators sentenced.

"Thirty-six-year-old Kristen Mealer, of Timbo, Ark., was sentenced to nine months in prison and two years of supervised release.

Thirty-seven-year-old David Edward Retter, of Vandergrift, was sentenced to six months in prison, six months home confinement and two years of supervised release.

Agents raided Mealer's home and Arkansas business, Stone County Fitness Center, as part of the investigation. Prosecutors say the pair conspired with others to distribute more than 189,000 doses of anabolic steroids from January 2007 until the ring was broken up in February 2008.

They were sentenced Friday in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh."

Plea agreement made in May 2009 :

"According to the plea agreement, Miss Mealer has agreed to cooperate with the investigation and could earn a reduction in her recommended sentencing range of 24 to 30 months. He will be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Arthur J. Schwab on Oct. 30 and will remain free until then."

Woman convicted of selling human growth hormone.

"A Los Angeles-area woman has been convicted for smuggling human growth hormone into the United States, then selling it over the Internet to doctors and spas across the country.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which led the probe, said Friday that 61-year-old Rana J. Hunter, of Marina del Rey, had been convicted in U.S. District Court on eight criminal counts, including smuggling goods into the United States, knowingly distributing growth hormone for a use unauthorized by law and identity theft.

Prosecutors say Hunter's business also claimed to offer Botox. Samples tested turned out to be fake.

Hunter, who has been imprisoned since her July 2008 arrest, faces a maximum penalty of 39 years in federal prison."

The original bust story ( from before this blog started ) :

"The investigation leading to Hunter's arrest began in March 2007 after ICE agents in Los Angeles received a lead from ICE's Cyber Crimes Center in Virginia. According to the case affidavit, during the ensuing probe, U.S. Customs and Border Protection ( CBP ) officers intercepted numerous packages containing vials of HGH and counterfeit Botox from China that were addressed to the Marina Del Rey mailbox listed on the Internet as Westgate's business address. The parcels were mislabeled variously as synthetic hair pieces, plastic molds and "sample iron oxide."

Within the last two months, an ICE undercover agent, posing as a supplier for clinics and spas, contacted the phone number listed for Westgate on the Internet. As described in the affidavit, the ICE undercover agent ultimately made two buys, including multiple vials of HGH and a substance purported to be Botox, along with syringes and needles. A subsequent laboratory analysis revealed the HGH was genuine, but the substance being sold as Botox contained no evidence of the Botulinum toxin."

Repros Therapeutics settles with creditors, new hope for Androxal FDA approval.

"The creditor settlement is an important first step in addressing our balance sheet issues and allows us to continue our Androxal® program for the immediate future while we pursue additional financing and strategic options. We have recently submitted a request for a Type C meeting with the FDA to discuss our latest findings for Androxal."

Mr. Podolski continued: "We hope to determine with the FDA whether the previously reported preservation of fertility while being treated for secondary hypogonadism is a clinically relevant outcome which would allow for a clear clinical path for Androxal, an oral treatment that restores testicular function. There can be no assurances that the FDA will deem fertility preservation during treatment as clinically relevant and sufficient to support efficacy of the drug.

Previously Repros showed Androxal to be non inferior to Androgel when comparing circulating testosterone levels. Androgel is a topical testosterone gel and the leading testosterone treatment with reported US sales of over $400 million. Unlike Androgel or exogenous testosterone treatments in general, Androxal does not suppress the hypothalamic-pituitary-testes axis as evidenced by secretion of normal pituitary hormones as well as normalization of testicular production of testosterone and sperm when hypogonadal men are administered Androxal."

Hulk Hogan interviewed by Time .com

"In your book, you talked about steroids — how they were legal and really common when you first started out ?

I just drank an iced tea here with lunch. If next year they say iced tea is worse than steroids, I'll probably quit drinking that too. But at the time it was legal, just like drinking an iced tea is legal. The baseball players, the football players, the hockey players — everybody I knew in every professional sport was using it to up their game, or to heal injuries, or to stay at their peak. And everybody thought it was safe."

Crimestoppers tip leads to steroid bust, arrest.

Pro 8 News is there as the Webb county sheriff's departments in conjunction with I.C.E. raid two homes in west Laredo.

They had been conducting surveillance for several weeks on the homes and today they hit the jackpot.

The incident occurred in the two thousand block of Camp Street. There, sheriff's deputies with the narcotics team found an unusual controlled substance.

After intensive investigation deputies found several doses of steroids. Some of the doses were in syringes others were still in bottles. Agents also found surveillance cameras along the side of one house.

"Britanski Dragon" and Ret bust story on Russian TV.

Discovered via Ronny T's post on the BodyOfScience.

October 26-2009 Bodybuilders on trial for smuggling steroids

( English is poor as it's a google translation from Russian )

On Monday in Moscow began the trial of the sellers of steroids. A group of bodybuilders start supplying banned anabolic steroids in the United States. As they say in Moscow narkopolitseyskie such cases they have not yet. American athletes under the trademark "British Dragon" label from Thailand relies on Russia for drugs made in Moldova. The FBI is unable to unravel.

These cadres operatives Moscow drug control during the filming, surveillance as the prime suspect. Dmitry Koshuba-looking sports man. Here he goes home with a fairly hefty bag, inside which the parcel. And so day after day. From house to mail. Always in the same department. Staff Mail said: loyal customers a little, and such a colorful man they remembered immediately.
"He's not fat, but as if pumped. Bodybuilder or something" - said an employee mail.

The box indicated the contents of a parcel - food additives, the material value - three hundred rubles, the address of the recipient. That's so simple, almost commonplace, according to narkopolitseyskih, worked well-established channel of delivery in the United States of anabolic steroids. They are forbidden for the free circulation of the ocean as well as in Russia. Considered potent substances.

In essence, anabolics - a hormonal medications. They have properties to increase muscle mass man. According to some experts, with the regular use by athletes may cause dependence, similar to the drug. Similarly it is proved that non-therapeutic method anabolics destroys the body.

"All the drugs were smuggled. Supplies are available from Moldova and China. Packaging printed and distributed from Thailand, where he was their accomplice, a man named Richard, who was also detained service of the U.S. service anti-drug", - said Ivan Elisavetchenko, Head of Control Service the licit drug control the RF Federal Drug Control Service in Moscow.

U.S. intelligence has long tried to calculate the feed supply in their country of anabolic steroids, but eventually came out only to the press. And only then from the Moscow narkopolitseyskih learned the names of the suppliers. As investigators believe, tablets and capsules, by the way, produced at the underground plant, packaged and packed associates Dmitry Koshuba at home. Ready Party is bare, and he sends them to America. On boxes and jars glued obtained from the Thai label company with a great name British Dragon Pharmaceuticals.

"This company does not exist, - says Ivan Elisavetchenko. - It was invented by Koshuba along with his accomplice, Richard. The name was also false. But among those who use these drugs, the company was widely known. All felt that the existing legal pharmaceutical company. What is understandable: the quality of drugs was at altitude. As they say narkopolitseyskie, hence such a sporty look very Dmitry Koshuba: what to trade, then he swallowed.

There was a sale exclusively through the Internet. There, an American customer placed the order, received the parcel only after wholly prepaid. It frames the search in the mansion Dmitry Koshuba. Police believed the money very long.

In the dock - Five people, including members of Russia's customs, who helped parcels safely pass mandatory monitoring and verification of content.

Pleaded trade potent substances, smuggling and organizing group accused not guilty and demanded that their case examined the jury.

Seizure of drugs in England and Wales 2009 statistics.

"Seizures of anabolic steroids increased by 53 percent to 802, which is the highest total since records began for this drug type in 1996"

1996 was the year that steroids were re-classified from POM to Class C.

Approx half the seizures in the report were made by local Police forces the other half by UK Customs.

There's no information in the report on how many of the seizures resulted in prosecutions.

Kidney Damage Another Consequence of Anabolic Steroids.

Anabolic steroids, taken by some athletes to build muscle and strength, can cause kidney disease, new research suggests.

Doctors haven't previously realized that the steroids, which are known to cause many health problems, also can seriously harm the kidneys.

In the new study, Dr. Leal Herlitz, of Columbia University Medical Center in New York City, and her colleagues studied 10 bodybuilders who were long-time users of steroids. The patients had begun to leak protein into their urine and had lost kidney function.

Tests showed that all but one of the bodybuilders developed a kidney-scarring condition known as focal segmental glomerulosclerosis.

According to the researchers, the condition develops when the kidneys are overworked. The kidney scarring in the study patients was worse than is sometimes seen in morbidly obese people, the study authors noted in a news release from the American Society of Nephrology.

However, there was some good news: Except for one, who went on to develop end-stage kidney failure and needed dialysis, the kidneys of the bodybuilders improved when they stopped taking the steroids, although one patient relapsed upon taking steroids again.

The researchers suspect that rapidly increasing muscle mass puts a lot of strain on kidneys, and the steroids themselves can be toxic to the organs.

High protein diets and uncontrolled high blood pressure could also be to blame.

Bulk rHGH only $1 million per kg :-)

TransGenRx, a Baton Rouge biotech firm that produces specialized proteins, has won a contract worth up to $30 million to make human-growth hormone for Laboratorio Pablo Cassara SRL, an Argentine drug-maker.

The contract calls for TransGenRx Inc. to make 66 pounds of human-growth hormone in the next 12 to 18 months, company President William Fioretti said Wednesday.

TransGenRx will be paid roughly $1 million for every kilogram, or 2.2 pounds, of the hormone. It’s used to treat abnormally short children and adults who don’t produce enough of the hormone.

Spanish UG busted for producing fake ED meds, Botox, Xanax etc

Calpe was the location of a raid by police which uncovered over 150,000 fake Viagra pills, the biggest haul of dodgy Viagra tablets ever found in Spain. The police arrested five people in connection with “producing pharmaceuticals without any sanitary control”.

It is understood that the drugs were distributed via a courier company, after their customers purchased the “little blue pills’ via the internet. The “company” also distributed BZP (benzylpiperazine) powder, Xanax (anxiolytic) and Kamagra, whose effects are similar to those of Viagra, among other products.

Those detained were also producing a version of Botox, a potentially dangerous drug, as it works by poisoning the patient, so any variation in the substance could have serious consequences.

Wired.com article on domestic site selling Botox and HCG without prescription.

A website that sells a prescription drug similar to Botox without requiring a prescription claims it has more than 2,000 customers. Some have learned how to inject the botulism-derived drug into their own faces from YouTube videos produced for the site.

Discountmedspa sells a variety of other DIY cosmetic treatments, including prescription Renova, and lip-filling gels. The botulinum toxin-derivative for sale on the site is Dysport, produced by the pharmaceutical company Ipsen and is a competitor of Allergan’s Botox. The site simply calls it “the Freeze.”

A Grand Prairie, Texas, woman, Laurie D’Alleva, who appears to be the site’s proprietor, performs treatments on herself in self-made videos posted to the site’s YouTube channel. In one video, D’Alleva pulls out a vial of what is presumably Dysport and a syringe filled with saline.

“It’s important to remember that you are mixing the potency of the botox,” she says, mixing the contents of the vial with the saline solution. She then injects her forehead and the areas around her eyes.

Full story from Wired .con

I'm expecting the site's female owner to be busted by the end of the year :-(

Study finds moderate amounts of protein per meal found best for building muscle.

The study's results, obtained by measuring muscle synthesis rates in volunteers who consumed different amounts of lean beef, show that only about the first 30 grams (just over one ounce) of dietary protein consumed in a meal actually produce muscle.

"We knew from previous work that consuming 30 grams of protein -- or the equivalent of approximately 4 ounces of chicken, fish, dairy, soy, or, in this case, lean beef -- increased the rate of muscle protein synthesis by 50 percent in young and older adults," said associate professor Douglas Paddon-Jones, senior author of a paper on the study published in the September issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association. "We asked if 4 ounces of beef gives you a 50 percent increase, would 12 ounces, containing 90 grams of protein, give you a further increase?"

The UTMB researchers tested this possibility by feeding 17 young and 17 elderly volunteers identical 4- or 12-ounce portions of lean beef. Using blood samples and thigh muscle biopsies, they then determined the subjects' muscle protein synthesis rates following each of the meals.

"In young and old adults, we saw that 12 ounces gave exactly the same increase in muscle protein synthesis as 4 ounces," Paddon-Jones says. "This suggests that at around 30 grams of protein per meal, maybe a little less, muscle protein synthesis hits an upper ceiling. I think this has a lot of application for how we design meals and make menu recommendations for both young and older adults."

Former trooper pleads guilty to possession of steroids.

A former state trooper will likely avoid jail time after admitting in court Tuesday to possessing anabolic steroids.

Asked by a judge how he wanted to plead to the charge of possession of a controlled substance, Adam Longo replied, "Your honor, I'm guilty."

Longo's name surfaced during a Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation probe of Franklin Ryle Jr., a former state trooper accused of kidnapping a Wal-Mart truck driver. During that investigation, authorities discovered anabolic steroids in Ryle's desk, according to a police affidavit.

In February, Longo walked into the office of Col. Sam Powell, the head of the Wyoming Highway Patrol, and admitted that he had used steroids during the previous 18 months and given some to Ryle.

According to police, Longo said he purchased the steroids at a Casper gym.

Speaking after Longo's arraignment Tuesday, District Attorney Michael Blonigen said several factors played into the plea agreement. Longo had no criminal record, and the anabolic steroids he admitted to having -- more than 0.3 grams of Cypiogen in liquid form -- was for personal use, Blonigen said.

High testosterone makes men stingy.

According to the study, the hormone which makes men big and beefy also reduces their generosity.

Karen Redwine, a neuro-economist at Whittier College in California, presented the work at the Society for Neuroscience’s annual meeting in Chicago last week.

To reach the conclusion, Redwine and her colleague Paul Zak, at the Claremont Graduate University in California, gave a testosterone-containing gel to 25 male university students, reports New Scientist.

They then tested their generosity.

All the participants also got a placebo cream with no testosterone. Neither the researchers nor the participants knew which was which until the end of the study.

After analyses, it was found that the testosterone cream worked.

The next day, twice as much of the potent sex hormone coursed through the veins of volunteers, on average.

The students then played a simple economic game with another participant via a computer. Each volunteer played the game in both roles, on and off the testosterone gel.

On the whole, the testosterone cream caused a 27 per cent reduction in the generosity of the offers, Redwine and Zak found.

A more potent variant of testosterone, dihydrotestosterone (DHT), exerted an even stronger influence on behaviour, the study found.

How Andreas won gold as doping-victim Heidi.

Having been crowned European shot put champion in 1986, Heidi Krieger was one of the stars of the former GDR.

But having been subjected to a doping program like thousand of other former East German athletes, Krieger realised on her 1990 retirement that the effects of testosterone hormone abuse had left her with all the traits of a man.

She opted for a sex change operation and is today known as Andreas whose birth certificate has been altered and, sporting a moustache, he now owns an army clothes shop in Magdeburg.

The confident, strapping man of 1.87m shows a copy of his photo from his competition days as Heidi, and a timid girl stares out from the image with short brown hair and broad shoulders hidden in a tracksuit.

Third positive test rocks Chinese National Games.

Wang Jing, who won the women's 100m title on Thursday, faces a lifetime ban after testing positive for illegal substances at the National Games.

Her coach, Chen Hua, could also be banned for life, senior athletics officials announced yesterday.

Wang has accepted the results but stated she did not know how the drugs got into her system.

"According to our anti-doping rules, we have decided to ban Wang and her coach for life. However, Wang has the right to appeal this decision and she can also ask for a check of her 'B' sample," said Shen Chunde, vice director of the Chinese Athletics Administration Center.

Wang, from southeastern Fujian province, tested positive for epitestosterone and testosterone after winning the 100m final. Her medal has been stripped and she was barred from the 200m final on Sunday night; before the official announcement of her positive test was made. She finished second in her 200m heat.

Chinese rower Guo Linna banned for four years.

"Chinese rower Guo Linna from Henan rowing team, who was expelled from the 11th Chinese National Games for testing positive for banned substance, will be banned for four years from competition, the Chinese Rowing Association announced here on Monday."

Men flirt to feel fabulous, why flirting gives men a boost.

Researchers recently conducted an experiment to see if men experienced the boost observed in animals known as "mating response".

They put a third of 149 male students aged between 18 and 24 in a room to talk to a 25-year-old male researcher, while the rest spoke to one of seven female students aged 18 to 22.

The men who'd talked to a woman showed, on average, a 14 percent increase in their testosterone levels, while their cortisol levels were up 48 percent. These hormones are associated with alertness and wellbeing.

FTC, drugstores sue Solvay over delay in generic AndroGel.

The AndroGel suits allege Solvay conspired with the generic defendants to monopolize the market. The generic manufacturers agreed to keep their product off the market for nearly a decade in exchange for substantial cash payments, the suits claim. As a result of the defendants’ illegal conduct, the suits suggested, plaintiffs paid artificially inflated prices for AndroGel and were deprived of the opportunity to purchase lower-priced generic versions of the medication.

With the huge profits involved in the 'legal' prescription HRT market it wouldn't surprise me to find that there were lobbyists employed by pharmaceutical companies doing their best to make sure steroids are not decriminalized.

Two Israelis arrested after 30,000 fake impotence pills found.

Two men suspected of producing fake pills and potions to "treat" impotence were arrested by Herzliya Police last week.

The Health Ministry's unit to combat pharmaceutical crime assisted the police, who seized 30,000 tablets and little bottles of a product called "Herba Gra for sex-life improvement" as well as dozens of counterfeit Viagra and Cialis erectile dysfunction drugs.

In the investigation, one of the suspects - who lives in Herzliya - said that he manufactures the products and packages them in a warehouse in Kfar Manda in the Galilee for people in east Jerusalem, who important the "active ingredient" from China.

The warehouse was also raided by police, who found pill-making machines, along with chemicals, blister packets for pills and aluminum foil to seal them into the blisters.

The suspect said he did not know what was contained in the pills but knew only that the active ingredient came from China. The ministry's lab found that this active ingredient was sildenafil, which is in fact the main component of Viagra and Cialis.

In 2005, the ministry received a request from a number of east Jerusalem and Ramallah residents for a license to market Herba-Gra, which they claimed was an "herbal mixture." It was given for a year and renewed from time to time, the ministry said.

Finally, ministry suspicions led to the police action.

Comical study on teenage AS use by South African psychology post-graduate student.

Illegal substances, mainly steroids, are being peddled at gyms, schools, sports grounds and even by family doctors.

Research on how masculinity influences the drive for muscular bodies through steroid abuse, supplement consumption and over-exercising among teenage boys found that 15% of 500 pupils questioned had used illegal drugs to boost their physiques.

Almost all the boys polled - over 80% - were involved in competitive sport, with close on 40% being rugby players.

The study was conducted among state school pupils aged 15 to 19 by University of KwaZulu-Natal psychology post-graduate student Jarred Martin.

"One youngster told me he had bought steroids in the R100/R200 price range. But he discovered that it was just olive oil in syringes. He got very ill," said Martin.

Martin said boys were paying a 10th of the price of pure steroids, believing they were buying the real thing.

Miami Customs Seizes Fifty Pounds Of Counterfeit Viagra.

"A shipment believed to contain 21,600 Viagra pills turned out to be counterfeit, U.S. Customs & Border Protection officials said.

The 50-pound shipment was coming from India and in transit to another country when officials intercepted it at Miami International Airport on Monday. Samples were taken to a CBP specialist who determined that they were not consistent with the authentic Viagra.

"We don't believe it was meant for the United States," said Jose Castellanos, chief with the U.S. Customs & Border Protection. "It has happened in the past, but this was a larger shipment than we have usually found. It's a good amount of contraband."

Alibaba trying to prevent steroid sales on their site.

Alibaba.com released a new FAQ on prohibited items on October 22 :-

"Can I display controlled or prescription drugs on Alibaba. com?

Drugs such as narcotics, steroids, valium, poppy seeds, poppy seed products (including all drugs listed in Schedules I, II, III, IV or V of the Uniform Controlled Substances Act, 21 U.S.C. 801 et seq.) or prescription drugs are strictly forbidden on Alibaba.com.

If you want to trade in chemical materials, please state clearly in your product listings or Buying Leads that the product you want to sell (or buy) is a chemical material, not a drug. Please keep this in mind when entering the subject, keyword, category, description etc.

Tip: If you are selling test kits for drugs, please do not use the name of the drug as a keyword."

The end of an era.

Alibaba was the place to find Chinese suppliers of powders and finished products back in the day and without it I would never have met some of the greatest guys in the biz such Ken Chen and Ohua ( who have both sadly retired ).

btw if anyone has Ken's current email please let me have it, hopefully his dream of opening a Mc Donalds franchise in Shanghai came true :-)

Mavericks baskball team owner Cuban takes pro-steroid stance.

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban told a group of American university students that he is in favour of supervised steroid use for athletes.

Speaking at a student forum at the University of Pittsburgh, Cuban said his "common sense" tells him that athletes could benefit from using steroids if they were made legal, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported Wednesday.

Cuban said athletes could use steroids to recover from injuries as long as a doctor is supervising the programme and it could be insured there were no long-term harmful side effects. "I will get killed for saying this ... but I'm not so against steroids," Cuban said. "We do performance-enhancing things all the time, just not steroids. "If you administer them properly and fairly and set the rules strictly as long as in doing so we recognize there are no negative long-term health impact issues."

Sometimes, you just put the blinders on because it came from underground. Rather than saying, 'what's the best way to do this and is there a positive out of it?' We just dismiss it."

The controversial Cuban also boasted to the students that he has been fined more than 1.5 million dollars by the National Basketball Association."Maybe because I don't have to deal with it that it is an uninformed comment," Cuban said. "but I think my position is common sense." Cuban said he doesn't expect any of the American professional sports leagues to abandon their steroid-testing programmes anytime soon. "You have to get to the point where that risk isn't there and we are not there yet," he said.

Illegal Steroids Still for Sale.

Since the first CBS News story aired last March, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has begun to crack down on designer steroids like Tren, but as CBS News correspondent Kelly Cobiella reported on "The Early Show," they're still very available -- and very dangerous.

Using a hidden camera at a supplement store, Cobiella spoke with an unidentified salesman who, referring to Tren said, "I saw a decent amount of size -- and it leaned me out."

Cobiella says that, since Part One of "The Early Show"'s "Early Eye" investigation on over-the-counter steroids aired Monday, there's been plenty of talk at supplement stores, in gyms and online about so-called "prohormones" such as Tren, including discussions of how they work, and the effect they can have on organs like the liver.

Maryland Congressman Elijah Cummings told "The Early Show," "I would guess that 85 percent of the people know exactly what they're doing. There's been too much publicity with regard to this area. They know."

Former South Bend, Michigan officer arrested for allegedly dealing steroids.

A former South Bend cop has been busted for allegedly dealing steroids and it's not the first time he's been in trouble.

According to our reporting partners at the Elkhart Truth , Tuesday, police arrested 39-year-old Tony Macik after a raid at a home on Eagle Lake in Cass County.

Macik is being held on $200,000 bond on charges of possession of steroids with intent to deliver, and possession of a taser.

Macik left the force after the chief recommended he be fired by the South Bend Board of Public Safety.

Former McIntosh County deputy pleads guilty in steroids case.

A former McIntosh County reserve deputy has pleaded guilty to a federal drug charge alleging that he sold anabolic steroids to several buyers over three years, authorities said Wednesday.

Dusty Burns, 29, of Checotah was charged with possessing anabolic steroids with intent to distribute, U.S. Attorney Sheldon Sperling said in a statement. Burns is expected to spend roughly a year in prison.

A U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency investigation revealed that Burns sold the drugs to Jimmy “Rusty” Hamm, 31, a former Creek Nation Lighthorse Police officer who reportedly delivered steroids from a marked patrol car while he was on duty.

Hamm pleaded guilty in September to possession of steroids with an intent to distribute.

The DEA inquiry also indicated that Bobby Brown, 38, of Vian was involved in drug sales. He is accused of selling steroids near Vian High School to buyers who were younger than 21.

Burns won’t be sentenced until after a presentencing investigation report is prepared. Estimates by federal court officials predict that he will spend 10 to 16 months in prison, Sperling said.

The maximum sentence is five years in prison and $250,000 in fines. Burns will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office until his sentencing, the release states.

William Llewellyn’s new book "Sport Supplement Reference Guide" launched.

"Everything you ever wanted to know about performance-enhancing supplements - hype-free!

SSRG includes a comprehensive, in-depth review of the top selling supplement ingredients.

There’s a clear, organized rating system as well as a summary of the effectiveness ratings for each ingredient. Whether the reader wants to increase muscle size and strength, enhance sports performance, or improve aerobic endurance, it’s all laid out in plain English.

In addition, the SSRG is filled with valuable information for anyone who feels lost in the frustrating maze of thousands of sports supplements, not knowing which way to turn. This is the first, most detailed, comprehensive, extensively researched and up-to-date guide ever written on the subject."

Unigen Life Sciences Sterility Report.

"We contacted ALS Laboratory Group, a multinational company Established in 1975, they are one of the most reputable laboratories and have many locations throughout the world. As is standard procedure for sterility testing they requested 20 sample vials of each product to be tested, from the samples they would select 10 vials of each to be analyzed.

Attached are the results for the three products; Test-Comp 250, Depo-Test 250 & Nandro 250 I hope this clears up any confusion as to the quality of our products and hope in the future buyers are certain as to the legitimacy of their products to be used."

These tests arranged by Unigen's Thai distributor ( at ALS's Bangkok, Thai branch ) showed all three oil based injectable products to be bacteria free.

Stiff penalty for Australian steroid importer.

A man from the Northern Territory has been fined for importing steroids to help him with erection problems.

Troy Allan Martin Chester did not appear in the Darwin Magistrates Court this morning but his lawyer pleaded guilty on his behalf to importing prohibited steroids and lying on his arrival form to Customs.

The court heard Chester bought 100 methandrastenalone pills from an overseas pharmacy.

Customs found the pills in his bag when he flew into Darwin from Singapore in September last year.

He told officers the pills would help him with his erection problems. Chester also pleaded guilty to importing two illegal laser pointers. His lawyer said they were cheaper overseas and Chester used them for hunting.

He was fined $1500.

Businessman pleads guilty in Applied Pharmacy Services steroids case.

"A Colorado businessman has pleaded guilty to steroid charges in what prosecutors describe as a $4 million distribution scheme that allegedly operated in at least 10 states.

James A. Abernathy of Colorado Springs, pleaded guilty last week to conspiracy to distribute steroids and money laundering. The Mobile Press-Register reported Abernathy's plea Monday.

He had faced trial along with 11 other defendants after an investigation focusing on Applied Pharmacy Services, which was based in Mobile and allegedly sold thousands of doses of anabolic steroids to customers across the country.

Abernathy also agreed to surrender $5,000 in drug proceeds and money used to facilitate the conspiracy."

Miracle-Gro for kids ( hgh story from the NY Post )

"Jeffrey is just one of at least six sophomores at the private Dalton School taking Humatrope, a designer drug for preteens that some experts call "Miracle-Gro for kids."

The growth hormones -- which are shockingly easy to get -- are being used increasingly by wealthy parents looking to give their children a leg up, literally, experts say."

Wrestler Jeff Hardy to appear in court on November 4th.

"The professional wrestler and Moore County native who was arrested in September and charged with possessing several illegal drugs including cocaine, prescription pills and anabolic steroids will appear before the Moore County District Court on Nov. 4, according to published reports.

The hearing will determine if a crime has been committed. The case will then be passed on to a grand jury, who would review the evidence and decide whether or not to criminally indict Hardy on all charges.

Hardy was charged with trafficking in opium, two counts of possession with intent to sell or deliver a Schedule III controlled substance, maintaining a dwelling for drugs, possession of cocaine, and possession of drug paraphernalia."

China starts catching it's own athletes doping ?

"A Chinese rower has failed a doping test and was kicked out of the National Games, the first such case during the prestigious competition, state media reported on Sunday.

Henan province representative Guo Linna tested positive for 19-norandrostenedione, a precursor to steroids, and she faced a four-year ban, the official Xinhua news agency said."

Feds charge Allentown man following controlled tablet delivery.

"Bruce and Jean Seidel of Kutztown thought they were doing a friend a favor by accepting what they thought were parcels from China filled with Viagra.

For accepting each shipment, the couple was paid $100 by their friend, Edward B. Webb of Allentown, according to federal authorities.

But in August, customs officials in Miami intercepted a box destined for Webb through the Seidels and discovered nearly 1,000 OxyContin pills with a street value of $79,200.

Federal prosecutors on Thursday charged Webb with two counts of attempted possession with intent to distribute OxyContin.

If convicted, Webb, 41, would face up to 40 years in prison and a $2 million fine.

The Seidels were not charged.

According to prosecutors, after the box was intercepted in Miami, agents with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement followed it to its delivery at the Seidels' home.

After interviewing the Seidels, ICE agents had Bruce Seidel wear a wire when he delivered the package to Webb on Aug. 21. After the delivery, Seidel went outside to smoke a cigarette, which alerted ICE agents that Webb had received the package.

Webb was subsequently arrested but released on $10,000 bond. His indictment was unsealed on Thursday."

Until today I had no idea the charge "attempted possession" even existed.

Hidden hazards in bodybuilding products story from the Boston Globe.

"Eighteen-year-old Fidah Salem did not know anything about the ingredients listed on the 4 1/2-pound container of Cell-Tech Hardcore, but he liked the nutritional supplement’s promise: “packs on muscle strength.’’

So he persuaded his mother, Paula Smith, to spend $100 on it and other products last week at the GNC store at South Shore Plaza in Braintree.

Smith said she and her son did not know the US Food and Drug Administration recently warned against the use of some bodybuilding supplements - though not Cell-Tech Hardcore specifically - saying they might contain anabolic steroids, which are illegal.

“A bunch of my friends use [supplements], so I thought I’d try,’’ Salem said. “It gives you muscle and gets you bigger without shooting steroids.’’

While much attention has been paid to steroid use among professional athletes, teenagers are often drawn to sports performance products that advertise similarly dramatic results. There are hundreds of over-the-counter items available locally, such as Anabolic Halo, a powder touted as promoting “chilling gains in muscle size and strength,’’ and Jack3d, which is said to induce “ultra-intense muscle-gorging strength.’’ Those and other supplements are sold with virtually no oversight by the FDA.

“What we’re saying is avoid anything that sounds like it has the equivalent of illegal steroids in it, because quite possibly it does,’’ Levy said.

Jack3d, made by USP Labs, trumpets its ability to give users “the mad aggressive desire and ability to lift more weight, pump more reps, and have crazy lasting energy along with sick muscle-engorging pumps.’’ Rick Quinn, a lawyer for USP Labs, acknowledged that such assertions are common and conceded the supplement industry can be “shady.’’ But despite the hype, Quinn said, the company’s products are made “legally and naturally.’’

Cell-Tech Hardcore is sold under the name MuscleTech, a brand produced by Iovate Health Sciences Inc. in Ontario, Canada. Iovate officials could not be reached by phone and a customer service number went unanswered. The company also makes Anabolic Halo and voluntarily recalled its Hydroxycut dietary supplement earlier this year after the FDA found it posed a “severe potentially life-threatening hazard to some users.’’

Safety questions about bodybuilding supplements have led to the emergence of at-home steroid tests aimed at parents and schools. Phamatech Inc., based in San Diego, began marketing its At Home Steroid Test in the Boston area recently. Phamatech said the $79.99 kit requires a urine sample, which must be sent to its lab for testing. It says the test can identify the “11 most commonly abused steroids’’ with 99 percent accuracy within five to seven days. (The FDA said it has not tested the company’s assertions.)"

Former Memphis police officer pleads guilty to protecting steroid dealer.

"A former Memphis police officer who was once the Tennessee narcotics officer of the year pleaded guilty Friday to helping a known drug dealer safely deliver steroids without police interference.

Brady Valentine, 38, pleaded guilty to a one-count criminal information, bypassing a grand jury in a plea agreement. Under terms of the plea, a more serious eight-count indictment returned in 2007 that also accused him of dealing in illegal steroids will be dismissed.

Valentine, who faces up to three years in prison, will be sentenced Jan. 15 by U.S. Dist. Court Judge Samuel Mays.

"This is one of those situations where you have to make the best of what it is," he responded when Mays asked if he wanted to plead guilty.

Valentine was assigned to the police Organized Crime Unit and detailed to the West Tennessee Drug Task Force Interstate Interdiction Unit, which patrols the interstates.

Federal prosecutor Joseph Murphy said that in September of 2007 Valentine talked by phone with a known drug dealer he had known for some years about making a delivery of illegal anabolic steroids from Arkansas to Shelby County.

Murphy said an informant, who also talked with the dealer, told authorities that Valentine assured the dealer he would have safe passage along local interstates.

Asked by the judge what crime he was pleading guilty to, Valentine replied, "I knew someone was doing something wrong and I didn't report it."

The 13-year veteran, who resigned after being indicted, was named officer of the year for 2006 by the Memphis Police Organized Crime Unit and by the Tennessee Narcotics Officers Association.

When Valentine was named in the eight-count drug indictment in 2007, he indicated through his attorney at that time he would claim entrapment if the case went to trial.

The alleged violations occurred between Sept. 9, 2007, and Sept. 25, 2007, and stemmed from a series of phone calls and contacts between a confidential source and Valentine in an alleged attempt to distribute anabolic steroids.

Defense attorney Ted Hansom called Valentine a good officer and said the indictment did not match with his client's character."

Testoviron Depot and Proviron by Bayer compared to Schering ( Thai versions ) pics.

Here's a picture of the new Bayer versions of Testoviron Depot and Provironum and the old Schering Thailand versions that they have recently replaced.

The current Bayer version of Testoviron Depot is still made in Germany.

The Bayer Provironum is now made in Brazil.


Each box of the Bayer Provionum contains five blister packs of ten tabs instead of the fifteen foil strips used in the old Schering version.

The typical price per tab for the new version is a little higher at Thai pharmacy level. The new Bayer box features a perforated flap for easy opening ( yet another piece of equipment anyone attempting a counterfeit will need to buy )


Here's a picture of the versions of Proviron / Provironum I've collected over the years.

( Thai Bayer, Thai Schering, UK Schering, Greek Schering and Brazilian Schering )

The new Bayer Testoviron Depot still ships to Thai pharmacies in shrink wrapped packs of five boxes. Price per box of twenty ampules is unchanged.

The new Bayer Testoviron Depot box still holds two layers of ten ampules, twenty in total.


The Bayer Testoviron Depot ampules are very clean and shiny. The expiration date is five years after that of production.


Label is perfectly straight as is the green ring around the top of each ampule. ( the red specs are part of the snack I was eating while taking the pics ) .

The neck of each amp is scored directly under the blue dot as a result they are very easy to open.

According to my measurements the old Schering version was overfilled and contained 1.2 ml of oil per ampule I will be measuring the contents of the new Bayer version as soon as I try one.

For fun I weighed some ampules of both the new and old versions of Testoviron Depot, the older Schering's average weight was 2.705 g and the new Bayer's average weight was 2.880 g.

Doctor pleads guilty in scam to obtain partially used vials of testosterone.

"A Lexington doctor lost his job and now has pleaded guilty in federal court following a drug diversion scheme.

Dr. Horace W. Bledsoe Jr., 58, of Lexington, was a Gilbert Family Practice doctor in February of this year when it was discovered that some leftover portions of testosterone doses were not being disposed of, but instead sent to Bledsoe's office.

Bledsoe pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court to obtaining the controlled substance by fraud. The U.S. Attorney's Office said he used the drug as well as gave some to a medical assisant and other unidentified individuals.

Between Oct. 2, 2008, and this February, testosterone was diverted on at least 20 occasions and clinic records falsified to make it appear the doses were disposed of properly, federal prosecutors said.

Bledsoe and unnamed others who knew of the scheme were fired in February from the Lexington Medical Center, which operates the family practice.

Bledsoe faces sentencing in Deceber. He could receive a fine of $250,000 and up to four years in prison."

Californian Underground Lab busted.

"An El Dorado Hills man is in custody along with a Fair Oaks couple for allegedly being part of an anabolic steroid manufacturing ring.

Jason Glavin, 37, of El Dorado Hills along with Erin O’Neil, 40, and his wife Amy, 32, have been charged with possession of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance for sale and transportation of a controlled substance.

Glavin used to own a nutrition supplement company in Folsom called Max Muscle, but it is now closed.

The 10-month long investigation came to a conclusion late afternoon Oct. 14 when Glavin was arrested after he reportedly delivered 100 vials of anabolic steroids to an undercover officer in a parking lot in Citrus Heights.

Following Glavin’s arrest, search warrants were served on Glavin’s Borgata Way home in El Dorado Hills, the O’Neil’s Catsleglen Way home in Fair Oaks and a home in the 3000 block of Elorduy Lane in Elverta, where officials report was the location of the clandestine steroid lab.

Agents found what they called a “large” anabolic steroid lab at the Elverta home and seized more than 500 vials and 1,850 capsules of anabolic steroid pills, said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Gordon Taylor, of the Drug Enforcement Administration.

“In terms of underground steroid labs, this was a huge seizure for this area,” Taylor said. “The illegal use of anabolic steroids can be a dangerous practice, especially for young people. This danger is only compounded when drug rings manufacture steroids in unsanitary, unsterilized underground labs like we found in this case.”

In January 2009, the West El Dorado Narcotics Enforcement Team began the investigation, and one month later requested assistance from the DEA Sacramento Office. In February 2009, an undercover officer met with Glavin and reportedly purchased two vials of anabolic steroids at a parking lot in El Dorado Hills.

According to the search warrant affidavit, Glavin’s steroid supplier received “raw product” and clandestinely manufactured and labeled the anabolic steroids for distribution.

The lab was located in an unsanitary utility room and contained what appeared to be raw steroid powder and large containers of liquid steroids, a vast array of packaging materials, vials, capsules and pre-printed steroid vial labels. Overall, this investigation resulted in the seizure of approximately 500 vials and 1,850 capsules of anabolic steroids with an estimated street value of $118,000.

Three more Indian weightlifters test positive for steroids.

Three more Indian weightlifters have tested positive for doping, taking the latest positive tests to five, and the national body is now facing another suspension.

Male lifters Harbhajan Singh and Rajesh Kumar and female Bijaya Devi were caught in World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) tests at a training camp for the Commonwealth championships, Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWF) secretary Baldev Gulati said.

Shailaja Pujari, a women's 75kg gold medallist at the 2002 Commonwealth Games, and men's 56kg lifter Vicky Batta failed out-of-competition tests last month.

"I'm dumbfounded," Gulati told Reuters on Thursday. "All of them have shown some sort of anabolic steroid.

"We've also had periodic dope tests. This shows something has happened in the last 20 days, just before the Commonwealth championships, (lifters) trying something, if this is correct."

The Commonwealth meet starts in Malaysia on Sunday.

All of the competitors have denied any wrongdoing and were seeking tests of their B samples, Gulati said.

"What is causing a bit of suspicion is all of them have tested for the same type of anabolic steroid, the same quantum. There is something that doesn't look very natural."

India has repeatedly faced embarrassment due to doping among weightlifters and the national body was banned in 2004 and 2006, because three or more lifters tested positive in a calendar year.

British police launch new appeal to find murdered steroid dealer's body.

The hunt for the body of a man believed to have been murdered in Essex has been placed as a high-profile case on the Crimestoppers website today.

Paul Duckenfield lived with his wife, Tracey, and two children in Portugal but returned alone to Stansted Airport on an Easy Jet flight at about 2pm on September 15 last year.

Essex Police have said they are “convinced” the father-of-two was murdered later the same day but have not been able to find a body, leaving the 41-year-old's family in limbo.

He was picked up at the airport by a business partner who had known him for several years and the last independent sighting was later that evening at the Palm Trees restaurant in Great Saling where he was captured on CCTV.

Officers believe the motive for the alleged killing is linked to Mr Duckenfield's involvement in the supply of anabolic steroids used by athletes and body builders.

He once featured in documentary The Cook Report in a 1996 episode called A Body to Die For which exposed the dangers of steroid abuse.

When news of the murder inquiry broke documentary maker Roger Cook told the EADT he remembered Mr Duckenfield being involved with illegal steroids sourced from India.

Detective Superintendent Tim Wills, confirmed last month his officers were looking for a body and did not have any hope of Mr Duckenfield being found alive.

He said: “Despite Paul's apparent steroid dealing he is a much missed father, husband and son."

Indian weightlifter disputes positive test result.

Dope-tainted lifter Shailaja Pujari, who is facing a life ban after flunking a National Anti-Doping Agency test recently, today pleaded her innocence.

Shailaja, who competes in 75kg category, was found by the NADA positive for an anabolic steroid.

"I have not done anything wrong. I tested negative on August 28. But the experts know how long the anabolic steroids remain in the body. So, I am ready to give my samples again," Shailaja said here.

The lifter also said that she was yet to receive the report of the latest NADA test and planning to approach Union Sports Minister M S Gill as well as Indian Olympic Association President Suresh Kalmadi upon receiving the same.

"I was told that the report has been sent to me, but have not received that so far," she said.

Supplement 'Mass Tab' Allegedly Caused Stroke in 17-Year-Old Football Player.

"With growing public concerns about the unregulated health supplement market, Mass Tab, a supplement marketed to help users gain weight and strength is under fire today after allegedly causing a stroke in a 17-year-old football player who used the product and then fell ill.

"The manufacturers of Mass Tab have engaged in what appears to be fraud and reckless and negligent marketing of a bogus bulking supplement that contained a steroid," said Greg Davis, attorney for the young football player, who filed a lawsuit in state court today. "The manufacturers failed to test and to warn the public of the known risks of its product, insidiously marketing it as having 'low side-effects.'"

According to the complaint, Jacob Bray, a young athlete from Tulsa, purchased Mass Tab from the Supplement Shak in Oklahoma, and used Mass Tab over the course of several weeks. On January 31, 2008, Bray was weightlifting and immediately after doing a lift had a severe headache, which he terms as "an instant migraine," and was disoriented.

Bray was driven home by a friend. He was still disoriented, placed an icepack on his head, and took some Tylenol. When the headache seemed to intensify, his mother, Bonnie Bray, made an appointment with a neurologist and an MRI/MRA was ordered, at which time it was discovered that young Bray had suffered a stroke.

"My heart sank when I was told my son had suffered a stroke," said Mrs. Bray. "The profiteers who sell hidden steroids in unhealthful 'health' supplements must be held accountable for their irresponsible conduct. For heaven's sake, my son is just a teenager with his entire life before him."

Attorney Davis added, "Jacob was never informed about the extremely dangerous and sometimes lethal effects of steroids contained in dietary supplement products like Mass Tab."

Mass Tab is a supplement marketed by IDS, Supplement Synergy and Challenger Holdings for those who wish to gain body weight and strength. Mass Tab appears to have been pulled recently from the market but could be sold and marketed under a new name.

Mass Tab contains, as one of its active ingredients, Stenbolone, which is identified as a steroid."

Feds correct Bodybuilding. com warrants.

"The document used to search Bodybuilding.com’s Meridian headquarters and Boise warehouse last month incorrectly stated the number of steroids in a product purchased from the company last April by an FDA investigator.

Idaho’s U.S. attorneys filed a correction with the court last week, saying FDA analysis showed Hyperdrol X2 by Anabolic Xtreme contained Androstenedione, but not Tren.

Special Agent Robert Blenkinsop discovered the mistake after the warrants were executed on Sept. 24.

The warrants also incorrectly said company initials APS stood for Advance Muscle Science instead of Advanced Performance Supplements in a list of items to be seized."

A 'real' HGH spray is on the way.

"Critical Pharmaceuticals, the speciality pharmaceuticals company, today announced that it had ecured a £1.5m translation award from the Wellcome Trust to develop a nasal spray of Human Growth Hormone (hGH) using its proprietary CriticalSorb technology as an alternative to injection. hGH, a leading biological drug for the treatment of growth disorders had global sales of $2.8bn in 2007."

Three Israelis charged with selling $1 million-worth of fake Viagra and Cialis tablets from their websites.

"Three residents of central Israel were indicted Monday for selling fake Viagra and Cialis pills between 2003 and 2005, to the amount of $1 million. The State Prosecutor's Office filed formal fraud, negligence, conspiracy to commit a crime and illegal transaction charges against Erez Lavev, 39, Motti Mistrialli, 37, and Yitzhak Alon, 39, with the Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court.

According to the indictment, the three sold fake erectile dysfunction medication through a website they owned and operated. The fraud, said the state began back in 2003, when the pills first began selling in Israel. The prosecution alleged that the website claimed the pills were the original medications. The three also advertised their services with other websites.

The clients, believing they were buying the real pills, paid using credit cards. The three deposited the funds in an account set up with a Cyprus bank. In order to further defraud authorities, claimed the prosecution, the three marked their goods – when sent to customers – as "documents" and included a fictitious return address.

According to the indictment, the three swindled over 2,000 customers between 2003 and 2005, making nearly $1 million in the process. The three are also facing negligence charges for failing to obtain the proper medical information about their clients, "thus endangering lives."

New study on Testosterone gel combined with HGH injections starts soon.

"This fall, Binder will coordinate a four-month study to give 20 St. Louis men ages 65 to 90 a topical testosterone gel and injections of human growth hormone. Binder plans more studies after this one, and hers is one of three across the country."

"But beyond the different hormones involved, male HRT and female HRT differ in a crucial way, said St. Louis University's Dr. John Morley. For men, researchers will give no more hormones than they would produce normally. As Binder said, the men in her study will not be "superphysiologic." In contrast, Morley said, women needed doses of estrogen and progestin many times normal to derive any benefit."

"Morley, a national geriatrics expert, has helped St. Louis become something of a hub for male HRT. He said testosterone especially holds promise to improve the lives of aging men in modest but real ways."

New scammer "Sore ButtCheeks.co .uk"

Someone ( other than me ) has registered the domain name "Sore Butt Cheeks. co.uk" and has so far only installed a blank blog template on it.

Checking the Whois information I found out that they have registered the domain name to an address in Thailand.

It looks like their intention is to set up a copy of my blog which offers to sell Thai steroids to customers living in the UK and use it to scam people ( this new impersonator is even less honorable than the Axio guys who are cybersquatting the sorebut tcheeks.com and sorebuttc heeks.net versions of my blog's name ) .

Airport passengers to have 'naked' photos taken by full-body X-ray machines.

"A human X-ray machine which produces 'naked' images of passengers was introduced at an airport today, enabling staff to instantly spot any hidden weapons or explosives.

The full body scanner, being trialled at Manchester Airport, will also show up any breast enlargements, false limbs, piercings, and a clear outline of passengers' private parts.

However fears have been raised that the Rapiscan Secure 1000, which resembles a large filing cabinet, may not be safe for women in the early stages of pregnancy or children.

Other travellers might not want to be scanned because of the graphic nature of the images, bosses admit."

If these machines are installed at the majority of international airports the days of easily transporting cash and other contraband will be over. ( unless some clever nation decides to release a new banknote worth say $10k ).

Dr. Ramon Scruggs pleads guilty to prescribing steroids over the Internet.

"Dr. Ramon Scruggs, 62, of Santa Ana, Calif., pleaded guilty last week to drug trafficking and will be sentenced Dec. 7 in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court.

He admitted to prescribing steroids over the Internet for non-medical purposes from January 2003 to April 2007.

Cleveland police Lt. Anthony Tuleta, 51, of West 14th Street, is accused of buying the drug from Scruggs and submitting bills totaling $95,000 to Medical Mutual."

China's most infamous fake Viagra seller in extradition battle with the USA.

"The United States and China appear to be in a custodial tug of war over a suspected Chinese importer of counterfeit Viagra and Xenical tablets, whom the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) placed on “provisional arrest” for extradition to Texas.

In a diplomatic note dated Sept. 30 and sent to the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Chinese embassy in Manila expressed its strong opposition to the extradition to the US of its citizen Miao Qun Huang, alias Cherry Wong.

Investigation by US authorities showed that Huang exported to the US counterfeit sex enhancement medicines Viagra and Cialis and slimming treatments Xenical and Reductil."

Cherry had appeared in US court documents as the supplier in numerous busts of domestic fake Viagra sellers and also appeared in at least two investigative TV reports into the counterfeit pharmaceutical trade ( one was the award winning "Bitter Pills" by Dateline ).

The adverts for her products can still be found via Google on numerous trade web sites.

Actor from "The Wrestler" denied release for steroid abuse treatment.

"Scott Siegel, 35, of New Rochelle, who had a small part in the Oscar-nominated film "The Wrestler," pleaded guilty last week to steroids possession and assaulting police officers with a motor vehicle and is awaiting sentencing. But his lawyer asked U.S. District Judge Kenneth Karas to release Siegel on bail so he could receive treatment for dangerously low levels of testosterone brought on by two decades of steroid abuse - necessary treatment that he said the jail was unwilling to provide. Defense lawyer Barry Levin said his doctors believe Siegel needs testosterone-replacement therapy and will only deteriorate as he goes without it at the jail."

"She said Siegel does not need testosterone-replacement therapy because the steroids and their effects need to be washed out of his body in order to allow his body the chance to begin producing the normal levels of testosterone."

"Levin says Siegel's long-term abuse of steroids makes that impossible. Unable to access his daily two grams of anabolic steroids - 10 times the recommended therapeutic levels of the drugs - or produce his own testosterone, Siegel has dropped 32 pounds since his arrest in February. In addition, the low testosterone levels have exacerbated Siegel's panic disorder and anxiety attacks. Those attacks have twice resulted in Siegel being taken from the courthouse in an ambulance."

Strange steroid story "Juiced: How local steroid users are finding a new fix."

"Joey O smiles and explains: “Bitch tits, yeah, your nipples get hard, they swell up — they hurt and you take your Nolvadex. Sure, you might lactate a bit, crack and bleed, but you’re ready and you take care of it before you’re needing sports bras and Band-Aids."

"It wasn’t the health risks that got Joey O to quit juicing or even the “blowout,” which occurs when a steroid user is so swollen muscularly, so pumped, that his steroid injection site refuses the injection and blows out, pumping out body fluids through the hole created by the needle. “The blowout happened in my bedroom one day: blood and steroids squirting everywhere. What a mess. All over my blankets; I had to throw them all out. I didn’t have any napkins or nothin’ and a little cotton ball wasn’t gonna stop it."

Some of the stuff in this article is weird. The author and his interviewee both seem to think the side effects associated with steroid use are rather amusing, personally I think he's interviewed a nut job.

Australian Customs catches another smuggler at Perth airport.

"Former West Coast Eagles player Daniel Chick has been caught bringing performance-enhancing drugs into Western Australia.

The 33-year-old, who now plays for Subiaco in the Western Australian Football League, was stopped by border control officers after flying into Perth from Singapore.

They searched his baggage and found a quantity of image and performance-enhancing drugs.

The Subiaco Football Club say it understands it was prescription drugs for Chick's asthma, but he did not have a prescription on him."

Not sure if he was caught with Clenbuterol or Salbutamol, I wasn't aware it was easy to purchase either of them in Singapore.

British bodybuilders sentenced for steroid sales.

Richard Flynn, a heavy goods vehicle technician from Rawmarsh, Rotherham was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, with an additional penalty of 120-hours community service.

Christopher Taylor, a house husband and gym owner also from Rawmarsh, Rotherham was sentenced to nine months imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, with an additional penalty of 80-hours community service.

The operation netted seizures of substantial quantities of Class C drugs - testosterone, methandienone, and oxymetholone. £9,000 cash hidden in a cupboard under the stairs was also seized from Flynn's home. The total estimated street value of the drugs seized was £7,000.

The pair were also involved in the importation of the human growth hormone, Hygetropin, with an estimated value of £96,000.

Tests on the products seized during the investigation had shown that both the oxymetholone and Hygetropin contained no trace of the stated active ingredients.

The counsel defending Flynn said he became involved in steroids with the aim of competing in the World's Strongest Man competition.

Mr Taylor was arrested in October 2008 at Steelworks Gym in Parkgate, Rotherham. Two boxes were seized from his car, a VW Touareg 4x4. One contained 39 tubs of Zanabol, each tub containing 1,000 tablets. The other box contained 47 boxes of oxymetholone.

A further box containing 44 boxes of 10 ampoules of testosterone enanthate was seized from Steelworks Gym, together with postal related documents and packaging, and three boxes of 10 ampoules of water for injections.

A parcel was collected by MHRA investigators at Stansted Airport in November 2008. It contained 250 vials of an unidentified white powder. Analysis has since shown that this product contained no human growth hormone. It is believed this product was to be labelled, boxed and sold as Hygetropin by Flynn and Taylor. The estimated value of this product is £3,000.

Analysis of Flynn's computer by forensic experts revealed e-mails that appeared to show he was dealing in various steroids from July 2007. From March 2008, Flynn and Taylor appeared to enter into a project to import Hygetropin, then package and label the product, along with a contact based in China. Emails outlined the importation of parcels of the 'product' by courier from China to around ten addresses in the South Yorkshire area and the transfer of funds back to China.

Other e-mail evidence showed Flynn attempting to obtain suppliers for steroids, arranging importation and then offering to sell the products from June 2007 onwards. It is estimated the pair imported at least 8,000 vials of Hygetropin.

I'm sure this government report of Hygetropin containing no active ingredient will fuel even more debate on the product. It's a shame there are no pictures of the version they were selling or info on the brand of blank oxyemthelone tabs they had. Zanabol is alleged to be a UG product perhaps these were the guys producing it. I'm glad to see neither of them received any actual jail time. I presume these guys were selling online, if anyone knows which site they ran please let me know.

Domestic ED and diet drug seller / importer busted.

A federal grand jury on Tuesday indicted Nicholas David Lundsten, 26, of Spring Lake Park, and Patrick James Barron, 29, of Fridley, for the interstate sale of mislabeled drugs and for importing controlled substances. The indictment was filed in federal court Wednesday.

The indictment said Barron and Lundsten "caused the introduction and the delivery for introduction into interstate commerce of misbranded drugs," including, 3,600 bogus pills labeled as Cialis; 10,419 bogus pills labeled as Viagra; 340 pills falsely labeled as Levitra; 1,582 pills falsely labeled as Propecia; 39,288 pills falsely labeled as Xanax and 27,336 pills purported to be Phentermine.

The indictments are the result of an investigation by the FDA, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, with assistance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Two Minnesota men were indicted in federal court Wednesday for allegedly sending thousands of misbranded pills — primarily for erectile dysfunction and hair loss — to customers throughout the state.

Nicholas Lundsten, 26, of Spring Lake Park, and Patrick Barron, 29, of Fridley, were each charged in U.S. District Court in St. Paul with a single count of introducing misbranded drugs into interstate commerce and one count of importing a non-narcotic controlled substance into the United States.

According to an indictment released Wednesday, the pair sent 10,419 pills labeled as Viagra; 3,600 pills labeled as Cialis; 1,582 pills labeled as Propecia; and 340 pills labeled as Levitra.

While the drugs "contained the active pharmaceutical ingredients of the drugs they imitated," they "were not the authentic product as labeled and were not made by the respective manufacturer," the U.S. attorney's office said in a written statement.

The indictment also accuses Lundsten and Barron of illegally importing about 40,000 pills of alprazolam — used to control anxiety disorders — and about 27,000 pills of sibutramine — an appetite suppressant used to treat obesity — into the United States. Both are classified as "Schedule IV" controlled substances.

If convicted of both charges, Lundsten and Barron face up to six years in prison.

I'm hoping to find a copy of the indictment online so that I can get the full story on how their bust actually came about.

Police Officers resign over steroid use.

"An investigation of police officers at two local agencies was concluded this week with the resignation of a third police officer for illegal use of steroids.

Polk County Police Department Chief Kenny Dodd said two of his officers – John Garrett, 41, of Silver Creek, and Shawn Bates, 27, of Silver Creek – both resigned effective Sept. 21, in lieu of termination.

“An investigation revealed that Bates and Garrett ordered the ingredients to manufacture anabolic steroids,” Dodd said. “They had to convert these ingredients to liquid form to use it, which they did.”

Newsome said that Couch, after being read a Garrity Warning, admitted to having provided a single vial of injectable testosterone to Garrett. Garrett then reportedly provided the testosterone – which is a Schedule III controlled substance – to Bates.

Police seek help with vet's office steroid theft.

"Police are asking for the public's help to solve the theft of steroids from an animal clinic in Grand Coteau.

The theft is this week's St. Landry Crime Stoppers Crime of the Week, and a $1,000 reward is offered for information leading to an arrest.

Jimmy Darbonne with Crime Stoppers said officers with the Grand Coteau Police Department were informed of the burglary of the Baronne Veterinary Clinic at 1538 I-49 Service Road early on the morning of Sunday, Oct. 4.

"Upon arrival, it was discovered that the glass on the front door had been broken to gain entry to the building," Darbonne said.

"Once inside, the door to the medical storage room had been opened and someone had been inside. Taken from the room was more than $3,000 worth of steroids."

I presume this theft was of anabolic / androgenic steroids.

Arizona naturopath Jesse Haggard faces music in steroid prosecution.

"Jesse Haggard, an Arizona naturopath, says he was just pushing the boundaries of medicine and improving his patients' quality of life; the federal government says he was part of a nationwide conspiracy to distribute steroids via online pharmacies that allegedly sold the drugs to hundreds of patients, including some professional athletes."

Haggard, who became a fugitive last year after he was indicted by a grand jury in Alabama, is expected to make his first appearance in court Wednesday in Orlando, Fla., according to a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's office in the Southern District of Alabama.

He returned from Latin America last month and turned himself over to authorities. He faces 11 felony counts.

"He has returned to the U.S. and I believe is in Florida waiting for pre-trial," Haggard's brother, Josh, wrote in an e-mail to the Daily News. "He has been put in a horrible situation during this 'witch hunt.' Having many patients in common, I can tell you that he has only ever helped people and has never had a patient complain."

Androxal restores normal sperm counts while increasing Testosterone levels in hypogonadal men.

"Dr. Jed Kaminetsky (Department of Urology, New York University Medical Center), the lead investigator noted, “Androxal may fill the need for a drug that is able to restore testicular function and at the same time provide the benefits that normalization of testosterone provides to hypogonadal men. If Androxal can be safely developed, it will represent an important new treatment option for men with secondary hypogonadism with a continued fertility interest.”

Kerrville cop set up DPS trooper busted on steroid charge.

"An indictment returned Monday charging Department of Public Trooper Jeffrey Jerman with delivery of a controlled substance identifies Danny Sanchez, a friend who was dismissed last month as a Kerrville cop, as the person to whom Jerman allegedly sold $800 in steroids on Sept. 7.

Jerman, 33, was suspended from duty after the Sept. 11 arrest in Boerne and is free on $15,000 bond.

Sanchez's attorney, Richard Ellison, said Sanchez worked undercover to make the “controlled buy” on Sept. 7 from Jerman in Kerrville, which was observed and recorded by investigators.

Ellison said Jerman delivered the steroids in a patrol car, but couldn't say if he was in uniform.

Authorities “wouldn't have had a case against Jerman without his assistance, so we are baffled as to why he was terminated,” Ellison said of Sanchez, who is appealing his Sept. 18 firing.

However, Ellison confirmed Sanchez also bought steroids for himself from Jerman around 2005, which city officials cited in dismissing Sanchez.

Jerman is slated for arraignment Nov. 2 on the Kerr County indictment, said Todd Burdick, a district attorney's investigator. He confirmed that Sanchez helped nab Jerman and is not under criminal investigation."

Britain's biggest cash robber admits steroid use during trial.

"He acknowledged he had trained with Murray on a daily basis but said mixed martial arts was "no more violent than any other contact sport". He admitted taking steroids – he lost 14kg (30lb) of mostly muscled bulk in prison – but denied they had any side-effects. "It's a load of rubbish that they make you aggressive." He said he was angry with Murray when he realised the robbery had taken place."

Dr. Ramon Scruggs and Anthony Tuleta's trial starts today.

The trial for Dr. Ramon Scruggs and Anthony Tuleta is scheduled for 9:00 am in front of Judge Nancy Margaret Russo.

Dr. Scruggs, 62, of Santa Ana, California, prescribed Schedule III Steroids over the internet for non-medical purposes from January 2003 to April 2007. Tuleta, 51, of Cleveland, illegally bought and submitted insurance claims to Medical Mutual. Scruggs was indicted on charges of trafficking offenses.

Tuleta was indicted on charges of drug possession and theft.

Ex-Creek Nation police officer pleads guilty to drug possession.

"Federal prosecutors say a former tribal police officer has pleaded guilty to a charge of drug possession with an intent to distribute anabolic steroids.

U.S. Attorney Sheldon Sperling said Sept. 24 that the case against Jimmy Russell Hamm stemmed from an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Sperling says Hamm purchased anabolic steroids for personal use and to distribute between September 2005 and June 2008. He says the purchases and deliveries of the steroids were done while Hamm was on duty for the Creek Nation Lighthorse division, the tribe’s police force."