Want to know which labs injectables feature in the new "Underground Anabolics" book ?

Here's the list :-

Alpha Pharma ( 2 products )
Asia Pharma
Axio Labs (2 products )
Balkan Pharmaceuticals
Diamond Pharma
Dutch Lab
Elite Fitness Pharmaceuticals
Euro Pharmaceuticals
Eurochem Laboratories
Geneza Pharmaceuticals ( 2 products )
Gen-Shi
Golden Gear
IP China
Jinan
Lyka Labs
ProChem Laboratories
Quality Vet ( counterfeit )
R.O.H.M.
Sciroxx
Stealth Labs
Unigen Life Sciences

Please note this is not a cloaked affiliate link, I make no money from your purchase :-)

International World Games Association disqualifies five medal winners.

--- Beila Balog, Ukraine, BodyBuilding, tested positive twice on various anabolics steriods, dueretics and SERMs, disqualification of his results at The World Games 2009 - incl. forfaiture of medals and prices and suspended permanently (ineligible for lifetime) from The World Games in view of the great number of forbidden substances found in his sample.

--- Istvan Bardosi, Hungary, Sumo, tested positive on masking agent/diuretic, disqualification of his results at The World Games 2009 - incl. forfaiture of medals and prices and payment of 3.000 euro to IWGA by his International Federation for the costs of handling the case.

--- Kamal Abdulsalam Abdulrahman, Qatar, BodyBuilding, tested positive on tamoxifen (SERMs), disqualification of his results at The World Games - incl. forfaiture of medals and prices

--- Sarmento Luiz, Brazil, BodyBuilding, tested positive on various anabolic steroids, tamoxifen, SERMs, testosterone, disqualification of his results at The World Games 2009 - incl. forfaiture of medals and prices and suspended permanently (ineligible for lifetime) from The World Games in view of the great number of forbidden substances found in his sample.

--- Oleksandr Bilous, Ukraine, BodyBuilding, tested positive on various masking agents/diuretics and testosterone, disqualification of his results at The World Games 2009 - incl. forfaiture of medals and prices and suspended permanently (ineligible for lifetime) from The World Games in view of the great number of forbidden substances found in his sample.

BBC wales reports 'Bodybuilders getting chest lumps'.

Surgeons in Swansea say they have seen a big rise in the number of men with non-cancerous chest lumps caused by taking body building supplements. The growths, known as gynaecomastia, are not dangerous, but are normally seen in adolescent males or people taking prescribed medication.

Consultant Breast Surgeon Nader Khonji said the number of men presenting with lumps has risen from around one a week to almost one a day. "There's been a significant growth," said Mr Khonji. "I would say I see six patients a week overall now with gynaecomastia, which is a definite increase over the last few years.

"I think a lot of this is to do with the increased awareness of body image amongst men. "This is leading them to go down the road of weight training and taking supplement and anabolic steroids, which ironically then cause them to develop the breast tissue," he added.

Michael Thomas, 21, from Swansea, is one of the patients to have a lump removed. He had been taking creatine, a completely legal supplement to help bulk up his muscles. But he then started to notice something going wrong. "There was a bit of soreness and I thought it was a bit strange," Mr Thomas said. "From when I first started training, I had little lumps there, but the lump on the left hand side started to get a bit bigger, so I went to the doctor."

A scan revealed a non-cancerous growth in his chest, which he decided to have removed. "It's nothing too much to worry about," he said. "It wasn't too serious, but something needed to be done about it."

'Mammotome machine' a new quick method for removing gynaecomastia now available in Wales.

A new machine that removes abnormal tissue and benign lesions from the breast is now available at Singleton Hospital and will help to tackle a massive increase in male breast cases. The mammotome machine will give the hospital cancer centre a new way of removing gynaecomastia, which is the technical term for breast tissue in men.

A mammotome biopsy removes a slightly larger sample of breast tissue than a needle biopsy. It is carried out under local anaesthetic and the surgeon uses a small vacuum assisted probe to take a biopsy from the suspicious area.

The procedure takes about half an hour and the patient can go home 20 minutes after the procedure. Conventional excision of gynaecomastia involves open surgery, which requires hospital admission, general anaesthetic, and a large scar.

“We’re also concerned that referrals of male patients with gynaecomastia are increasing rapidly. Evidence suggests this is due to an increased incidence secondary to use of anabolic steroids and the increased concern over body image in men. Obesity is also a cause for concern.”

The Vegas Mixx story.

Pharmacist Scot Silber thought he was sitting on a gold mine when he developed a drug compound to help men suffering from sexual dysfunction.

Silber, part-owner of Green Valley Drugs, combined Valium and Viagra into a single pill and called it Vegas Mixx. He advertised it with the promise that the combination would mellow the mind, relax the muscle that causes ejaculation and provide a lasting erection.

Silber invested thousands of dollars in research and an edgy Internet marketing campaign, promising men in obscene terms on a Web site that they could perform “like a porn star.”

Larry Pinson, executive director of the pharmacy board, would not say whether the board was investigating Green Valley Drugs. And while he could not talk specifically about Vegas Mixx, he said that generally speaking, compounding pharmacies are allowed to make drugs only to fill individual patient prescriptions, versus making batches in advance and then marketing their availability.

According to Silber and his marketing agent, Dale Matteson, Vegas Mixx was initially produced in quantities large enough to provide samples to urologists, family doctors and medical spas.

A compounding pharmacy should not be making samples, Pinson said.

“If you make batches, that’s manufacturing and you have to be licensed by the FDA to do that,” Pinson said. “A compounding pharmacy can only compound prescriptions that are patient-specific. Making samples is not patient-specific. You can’t make up batches of a drug and give them to doctors to do what they want. That’s manufacturing.”

Vegas Mixx was never going to become the company’s primary product, Silber said, but the men thought they had found a product that would be successful. In December 2006, Silber hired a researcher who concluded that between one-third and two-thirds of men suffer from premature ejaculation. “The market is huge! The market is wide open!” proclaims a presentation by the researcher.

The combination of Diazepam and Sildenafil, better known by the brand names Valium and Viagra, solved the problem, Silber said. The anti-anxiety drug Valium relaxed the mind, allowing a man who suffered from premature ejaculation to perform without worries. The Viagra relaxed the muscle that causes ejaculation and prolonged the erection.

The Vegas Mixx Web site — aimed at guys who come to Vegas for a fling — used crude terms: “Vegas Mixx ... makes you rock hard, and keeps you that way. Enjoy the ride.”

Silber and Matteson don’t apologize for their style of marketing. They say they were going after a young demographic of men who like to party.

Silber and Matteson initially hoped to use the Vegas Mixx Web site to refer patients to local doctors, who would perform examinations and prescribe the drug. The site promised easy access to the drugs: “Even if you are in Vegas from out of town to play, we can accommodate a quick MD visit and a quick RX for a long-lasting experience.”

And this is where they may have been treading on dangerous ground legally, according to two doctors who met with them as they were developing the drug.

About two years ago, Dr. Warren Magnus and his then-business partner, Dr. Ivan Goldsmith, were taken to lunch by the men and recruited to join the team. The pitch was that the Web site would funnel patients to the doctors, who would prescribe the Valium-Viagra mix.

According to Magnus, prescribing the drug legally required a physical examination. But Silber told the doctors, according to Magnus, that Internet evaluations and medical histories would take the place of the physical examination.

“They were looking for doctors to sign up, to basically put themselves in the clear on dispensing (controlled) substances,” Magnus said.

The proposal made Magnus uncomfortable. He said that even if it was OK with Viagra, which he was unsure about, it could not possibly be OK to bypass actual examinations to prescribe Valium, a controlled substance closely monitored by the Drug Enforcement Administration.

“There’s far too much legal exposure — if not an outright violation of the law — to prescribe for people you’ve never seen,” Magnus said.

Magnus said he operates on the “cutting edge” of medicine — he’s involved with anti-aging therapies, for instance — but “when I smell a rat I run like hell. I distanced myself as quickly as possible.”

Spanish cycling doping ring uncovered.

Last Tuesday the Spanish Civil Guard (police) raided several locations across Spain that led to the arrest of 11 people, including 3 cyclists. The police raids took place in Barcelona, Valencia, Murcia and Grenada. The arrested include two pharmacists who were already suspected of distributing banned substances, and several doctors. The ring is reported by the Spanish police to have distributed EPO, CERA and human growth hormone.

The investigation, named Operacion Grial by the authorities, is reminiscent of the infamous Operacion Puerto, the doping scandal of 2006 that uncovered the doping ring run by Dr Fuentes, a former collaborator of Walter Viru and also once a doctor with the Kelme squad.

"Investigations were initiated in early August 2009 when the Civil Guard became aware of the existence of a group of people, mostly residents in Valencia, which were dedicated to supplying doping products to people of different sports and categories," read the statement.

It continued: "During the investigations it was discovered that among the network of members was a physician with sports and dietary consultation in Valencia, whose role would be to prepare training plans, nutrition and supplementation aimed at improving the performance of athletes, including substances in these plans prohibited in sport."

The tablets teenager Matthew Dear used were real Dianabol.

"Two men accused of supplying steroids to bodybuilder Matthew Dear, who died, are due to appear at crown court.

Garry Penny, 21, and a 17-year-old, from Westcliff, who cannot be named, appeared at Basildon Magistrate’s Court to face charges of supplying anabolic steroids.

Penny, of Station Road, Westcliff, faced one count of being concerned in the supply of the Class C drug methandienone in Southend between February 2009 and April 2009.

His 17-year-old co-defendant faced one count of supplying 50 tablets of the anabolic steroid methandienone and a further charge of supplying 50 tablets of the drug to another man.

The charges also relate to incidents alleged to have happened between February and April this year.

Neither of the pair entered a plea to the charges.

Both were released on unconditional bail and will reappear later at Basildon Crown Court for a plea and case management hearing."

Hopefully the true cause of this sad death will come out during the trial.

BritishDragon finally launches it's new product range.

"British Dragon is glad to announce that the first line of products has left our facility and the products are available on the market. Do note that all British Dragon products are protected by our BD-PSS system. BD-PSS consists of state of the art hologram and security verification number. All End-customers are advise to verify the legitimacy of their product by verifying the security number on our web-page.

We advise all customers to check the BD-PSS on their product for each and every product. BD-PSS is designed in such a way that it is destroyed if it is tampered with and customers are advised to return any products that show signs of tampering with. Given the amount of counterfeited British Dragon products we must emphasize not to use any British Dragon products that don't have BD-PSS hologram and number or it is damaged. Using unverifiable producst can be lethal !"

Sadly there are no product pics on their site so we have no idea what the new state of the art hologram should look like :-)

British Police officers using steroids 'open to corruption'.

"He was responsible for investigating police officers suspected of wrongdoing, and says around 80% of the cases he came across could be linked back to steroids, gyms and the night-time economy.

"They are accessing them from people who sometimes have criminal association."

"Officers are putting themselves in a position of vulnerability, in that they can become beholden to people who are supplying them with steroids."

"There have been occasions when officers have been used by those criminals to provide information."

"Surfing the bodybuilding message boards periodically, you will find a discussion about steroids and the police - bodybuilders asking if the police test for them, for example - either because they are thinking of joining the police force, or are just curious.

"Mr Cunningham says they have issued guidance to forces saying they should be aware of police officers going to gyms, and if their appearance is changing for the need to intervene early."

Tim Montgomery interviewed in jail. ( Sprinter who worked with BALCO )

"The crucial conversation took place at Graham’s house one evening. Graham started telling him about power, about how he was too slight; he was so blatant he started showing Montgomery a video of Ben Johnson to demonstrate his point. “He was saying to me, ‘There’s no telling what you can do when you’re using steroids,’ ” Montgomery says.

It is at this point that most reasonable people would stop to think and to examine their conscience — because this was the moment when Montgomery crossed the line. But, as he explains, conscience did not enter the equation. “I was thinking, ‘This is the green light,’ ” he says. “All I wanted was the big Nike contract, the commercials, I wanted to be the star.”

His next stop was over the Mexico border to follow up on the introduction to Angel Heredia, whom Graham used as the supplier of performance-enhancing drugs to his athletes.

Montgomery claims that he was shown paperwork showing Heredia’s various clients and he asserts that one of the names he saw was Greene.

This allegation has been aired before, by Heredia, although Greene has denied that he ever used drugs. When evidence was published last year of a bank transaction and blood analysis in Greene’s name, Greene said that he disapproved of doping and that everything he bought from Heredia was destined for others in his training group, not himself.

But Montgomery’s attitude, on meeting Heredia, was that he had finally arrived. Was he concerned about getting caught? “No,” he says. “Being suspended for two years didn’t cross my mind. Other people weren’t getting caught. Angel’s father told me, ‘It clears your system in 12 days; all you have to do is hide for 12 days.’

“So for 12 days, we would turn the lights on at the track, train at night and stay in hotels in the day. When I lived with Marion, I got cameras put on the gates so if a tester came, I’d know not to answer the door.”

Real improvement, though, did not come for another year, until the advent of Project World Record. By now, Graham had switched suppliers and was working with Victor Conte, the founder of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative (Balco) in Burlingame, California. Project World Record was designed specifically to turn Montgomery into the world’s fastest man and it was born in a Balco meeting room with none other than Charlie Francis, the former coach of Ben Johnson, as a specialist consultant.

Once again, this did not trigger Montgomery’s concern but, instead, his ambition. “I knew I was getting the edge,” he says. “I knew we were beating the system. But the system had been beating me. Charlie said to me, ‘Tim, you have the ability to be the world record-holder.’ I don’t think there’s a person in sprinting smarter than Charlie Francis.”

Sure enough, Francis was right. In 2001, Greene just stayed ahead of Montgomery and in 2002, Montgomery finally reeled him in, beating him comprehensively in a grand prix in Brussels. Montgomery says: “Maurice came up to me after that and said, ‘You’re there, huh?’ And I said, ‘It was only a matter of time.’ But after I got fast, Maurice ducked a lot of races. You could see the mojo had changed. You can see in an athlete when you’ve got ’em, when you’ve taken the fight out of them.”

Two weeks after the Brussels meeting, Montgomery ran his 9.78sec in Paris. It was as fast as he would ever get, the height from which he began his long descent.

Two points about Montgomery that accentuate how much talent he had and how much he abused it. One: his world record may have been wiped but he insists he did it clean. The drugs that Conte gave him, he says, gave him terrible stomach cramps so he quit them and, in 2002, started taking clean nutritional supplements instead. Yet he realises few would believe him. “I know my word is like lunchmeat, you can take it or leave it,” he says. Two: because he was more interested in the rewards of winning than winning itself, he will never know quite where his natural talent might have taken him.

“I had all the natural elements to achieve what I wanted, as long as I put in 100 per cent,” he says. “But I never did. Because I wanted to be the person in the nightclub, partying, getting by in life.”

But his life started to crumple after Balco was raided in September 2003. A year later, he was fighting a doping charge and needed to fund growing legal fees. “I had been living beyond my means from the track world anyway,” he says. “I needed money and the only way I knew how to make money was drugs.” In other words, he used one crime to fund his defence against another.

Operation Pangea II steroid site bust in UK.

A CHELMSFORD home was raided as part of the world's biggest crackdown on the sale of fake medicines.

Interpol and the UK Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA) raided 13 homes and businesses across England, including a house in Broomfield, Chelmsford, netting a total of £300,000 worth of illicit prescription-only drugs.

A 44-year-old local man was arrested in the dawn swoop on the residential property and £23,000 worth of potentially-dangerous anabolic steroids were seized in nine black bin bags, along with £5,000 cash.

MHRA head of enforcement Mick Deats said: "Illegal suppliers have no quality control or standards, so purchasers will never know what the tablet they are swallowing contains."

"At worst they can kill."

I'm expecting far more Pangea bust stories to hit the press this weekend.

William Llewellyn’s Underground Anabolics now available to pre-order.

William Llewellyn's Most Controversial Book is on the Way! UNDERGROUND ANABOLICS brings you deep inside the world of black market anabolic steroids. With the help of co-author Ronny Tober, Llewellyn treks through two decades of steroid prohibition, with a special focus on today’s global market dominated by counterfeits and underground labs. You discover what steroid prohibition has actually accomplished, and the potential pitfalls of this unregulated and extremely volatile business. Readers are invited inside the assembly area of a registered pharmaceutical company, as well as an operating underground steroid laboratory. See for yourself how real and underground steroids are actually made. Many helpful tips and pictures provide invaluable assistance in identifying products of high and low quality.

The information in this book is so controversial and potentially damaging that certain underground figures have tried to bribe, threaten, and even attack William in order to force him to pull it! It is the one book underground labs absolutely don’t want you to see.

History-Making Lab Tests

UNDERGROUND ANABOLICS has a chapter on lab testing, which includes the most extensive series of analytical tests ever published on black market steroids. See results on dozens of products bearing such names as Asia Pharma, Axio Labs, Balkan Pharmaceuticals, Diamond Labs, Geneza, EuroChem, Genshi, IP China, Lyka, R.O.H.M., Sciroxx, Stealth, and many more! Lab tests include steroid dosage, bacteria, heavy metals, pH, and even full chromatographic purity fingerprints of all components and contaminants. Many underground labs and dealers may promise true “pharmaceutical grade” products, but do they deliver? See for yourself! You may want to sit down to read this book, because some of the results are absolutely shocking!

Worth Its Weight in Gold!

William Llewellyn’s UNDERGROUND ANABOLICS is filled with invaluable information that can save not only your money, but also your health! It is an ideal primer for healthcare workers, law enforcement officials, and academic researchers, and quite simply a MUST HAVE for anyone even thinking about using black market anabolic agents!

Current pre-order price is "Price: $49.99 Discount: 25% $37.49 " and it's expected to ship December 12th.

Operation Pangea II steroid and hgh bust details from Austria.

"Vienna - Austrian police have uncovered what was likely one of the biggest international networks peddling illegal growth hormones for athletes, the police authority of Lower Austria province said Wednesday.

Investigators found some 2 tons of illicit substances in several large warehouses in Lower Austria and Vienna and have arrested five suspects so far.

The seized materials were made in China and Eastern Europe and allegedly were sold over the internet through middlemen in several countries including Britain, Bulgaria and Germany. Customers as far as the United States ordered from the network, the police authority said.

The large-scale crackdown on the suspects took place in mid- November. The doping substances that were found included anabolic steroids, other types of hormones and stimulants. Police valued the stock at several 100,000 euros (150,000 dollars).

The network's products were also found in several Austrian fitness studios.

Authorities said the arrested suspects were from more than one country, but did not release any further information about them, citing ongoing investigations."

There is a very large network of AS sites with their CC billing set up in Austria, I wonder if this is them ? Only time will tell.

George Koufalis from Operation Roid Runner's YouTube Channel.

Some interesting comments on Operation Roid Runner.

"those charges are from 2 years ago asshole!"

"sorry for the name calling but im mad because no one knows that i was in trouble with this a while back it just came out today!"

"well do you see any of my 20 good friends i sold roids to on the news with me? um no...."

Hearing of former South Bend police officer delayed in steroid case.

"A court hearing for a former South Bend police officer accused of possessing and delivering steroids was adjourned Tuesday.

It was the second postponement of a pre-exam for Tony Wayne Macik of Edwardsburg.

Cass County Drug Prosecutor Tiffany Vohwinkle asked that the initial hearing be postponed until drug testing can be properly conducted.

Vohwinkle told 4th District Judge Stacey Rentfrow that the Grand Rapids drug lab does not have equipment to test liquid steroids, which the prosecutor's office was recently notified about.

"We're waiting for a transport to Detroit. They can test it within a week of receiving it," she said about a testing center in Detroit.

Macik's attorney, Fred Taylor, did not object to the adjournment.

Macik was arraigned last month on three controlled substance charges, the creation/delivery of an analogue (steroids) and two counts of possession of analogues.

Macik's new court date is planned for Jan. 6. He bonded out of jail.

Australian testing breakthrough tackles drug cheats.

The secretive world of sporting drug cheats could be set for a shake-up.

A specialist team at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) has developed a way of detecting illicit drugs that researchers say is more sensitive than present methods. The innovation lies in better separation of various compounds, using both liquid and gas elements of a sample. Any banned substances appear as colourful blotches, rather than the usual spikes on a graph.

"What we can do is analyse things such as testosterone, metabolites and other compounds that are used in the steroid area, in particular anabolic agents," RMIT's Professor Philip Marriott told Australia Network. "These are the ones that give muscle growth."

The technique allows researchers to find traces of banned substances that are far smaller than what is presently detectable. The new method also allows old samples to be tested for previously undetectable drugs, meaning cheats could be caught years after their test.

"It means you cannot hide if you've already delivered a sample to the drug testing people, and you know the compound is there," Professor Marriott said. "Ideally one could never hide from the analytical testing."

The research has attracted the attention of the World Anti-Doping Authority, which has given the university team $162,000 for three years of study to screen a broad range of drugs.

It is a trial for now, but the technology could have implications for Olympic athletes, elite cyclists and other sports prone to drug cheating.

The researchers are working with a doping control body in Thailand and the Australian Sports Drug Testing Laboratory. They hope to compare their method with conventional testing during the 2012 London Olympics.

Background info on Operation Roid Runner.

George Koufalis injected himself with $8,000 to $20,000 worth of steroids a year to stay in top condition for bodybuilding competitions, authorities said. Koufalis' habit led him to start selling the drugs as well, providing a link for investigators between a steroid ring in Dauphin and Cumberland counties, and one here in the Lehigh Valley, according to the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office.

Police allege the breakup of a ring near Harrisburg led them to Koufalis, who in turn led them to Marcus Lazaro, Chad Gillespie and John Sassaman. Lazaro then led police to Christopher Niemczyk, authorities said. All of the men told police and a grand jury they used the drugs and turned to selling them to fuel both their use and pay for various bodybuilding competitions.

They were each released on $25,000 unsecured bail.

Lazaro and Gillespie went as far as purchasing bulk quantities of steroid powder from China, then mixing the powder with oils and alcohol to form liquids that users injected into their muscles, state prosecutors said. They allegedly branded the resulting product "Pro Lab."

In 2008, state agents raided Koufalis' home in Lower Macungie Township after he allegedly sold steroids to an informant from Harrisburg. Agents seized $12,459 cash, four guns, 900 pills and assorted paraphernalia.

Koufalis turned informant and set up buys with his suppliers: Sassaman, Gillespie and Lazaro. At the time of the raid, Koufalis owed Lazaro $6,700 for steroids.

Agents arranged for Koufalis to buy numerous times from his suppliers in the parking lot of the Gold's Gym at South Mall on Lehigh Street in Allentown and elsewhere, such as a restaurant on Lehigh Street.

Koufalis testified, according to court papers, that Sassaman gave him $5,000 in steroids in the Dieruff High School parking lot May 17, 2008 -- the date of a bodybuilding competition held at the school.

Agents raided Lazaro's Freemansburg home Jan. 13 and seized 9 pounds of liquid and powder steroids, $8,894 cash, a 9mm handgun, syringes, vials, oils and other assorted paraphernalia.

Lazaro started using steroids in college, but he and Gillespie had a hard time locating drugs at some point and turned to the Internet as a source. Gillespie is said to have marketed the steroids and Lazaro ordered the bulk materials.

The orders were paid via Western Union wire transfers in amounts small enough to not require a transaction report, usually less than $3,000.

Lazaro also bought steroids from another local distributor, Niemczyk, in a number of deals arranged in Northampton County in conjunction with authorities. Niemczyk sold quantities of drugs to Lazaro in various parking lots and at Niemczyk's Williams Township home.

In an April 10 raid of Niemczyk's house, police said they seized steroids, ecstasy, ketamine (a potent anesthetic), paraphernalia and $6,543 cash.

African lesbian doping scandal continues.

"Vivian Chukwuemeka will today face the Athletics Federation of Nigeria in Abuja, to defend herself in the case of doping levelled against her. This is coming four months after officials of the federation told the world that the former commonwealth champion tested positive to performance enhancing drugs in Berlin during the IAAF World Championship which held in August.

Chukwuemeka, Amaka Ogoegbunam and Gloria Kemasuede were reported to have tested positive to banned substances.

While Kemasuede admitted to taking the drugs and began her two years ban immediately, Chukwuemeka maintained her innocence. Ogoegbunam however alleged that Chukwuemeka gave her the drugs, but Chukwuemeka has so far maintained that the claim was a figment of Ogoegbunam's imagination."

More Operation Roid Runner related stories.

A former police officer who has done time for steroid-related crimes could be headed back to prison after his arrest Tuesday by the state attorney general's office on new charges.

Eric Garonzik, 39, former co-owner of a West Shore gym, faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted of the drug counts filed against him in Dauphin County.

Nine other people, including Garonzik's ex-wife, also were charged. Garonzik's arrest came after a two-year probe by narcotics agents with the attorney general's office dubbed "Operation Roid Runner."

Operation Roid Runner news video.

News Video "Steroid Ring Busted" from WGAL8.

Sadly my connection is soo slow I can't even watch it. The stills from it show quite a large amount of product.

Press release about Operation Roid Runner.

Most of the text from the press release can be found in the post below this one.

Operation Roid Runner bust update ( UGL appears to be Pro Lab)

Corbett announced the arrests of the following people at a news conference this morning in Lemoyne, Pa.:

• Christopher Niemczyk, 31, 1013 Old Course Lane, Williams Township, is charged with four counts of delivery of steroids, one count of possession with intent to deliver steroids, one count of possession with intent to deliver ecstasy, one count of possession of drug paraphernalia, one count of misbranding Ketamine and one count of criminal conspiracy.
• Marcus Lazaro, 29, 123 Somerset St., Freemansburg, is charged with three counts of delivery of steroids, two counts of possession with intent to deliver steroids, two counts of criminal conspiracy, two counts of dealing in the proceeds of an unlawful activity, one count of manufacturing steroids and one count of possession of drug paraphernalia.
• John Sassaman, 51, 1803 Stratford Court, Salisbury Township, is charged with four counts of delivery of steroids and one count of criminal conspiracy.
• Chad Gillespie, 33, 740 Fourth St., Catasauqua, is charged with two counts of criminal conspiracy, one count of possession with intent to deliver steroids, one count of manufacturing steroids and one count of dealing in proceeds of an unlawful activity.
• George Koufalis, 34, 2158 Woodridge Drive, Lower Macungie Township, is charged with two counts of delivery of steroids, one count of possession with intent to deliver steroids, one count of possession of drug paraphernalia and one count of criminal conspiracy.
• Robert Greynolds, 28, of Middletown, Pa., is charged with nine counts of delivery of steroids, one count of possession of drug paraphernalia, one count of carrying a firearm without a license, one count of criminal conspiracy and one count of criminal use of a communication facility.
• Joel France, 42, of Harrisburg, is charged with three counts of delivery of steroids, one count of criminal conspiracy and one count of criminal use of a communication facility.
• Christopher Levan, 36, of Mechanicsburg, Pa., is charged with one count of delivery of steroids and one count of criminal conspiracy.
• Stacy Garonzik, 38, of Shiremanstown, Pa., is charged with one count of delivery of steroids, one count of possession with intent to deliver steroids, one count of dealing in proceeds of unlawful activity and one count of criminal conspiracy.
• Eric Garonzik, 39, of Mechanicsburg, Pa., is charged with one count of delivery of steroids, one count of possession with intent to deliver steroids, one count of dealing in proceeds of unlawful activity and one count of criminal conspiracy.

“Like any illegal drug, steroids come with negative and dangerous physical effects,” Corbett says in a news release. “We need to do everything we can to make sure that the public, especially young men, are aware of the dangers of using steroids, and we need to take those who distribute this poison off our streets.”


Corbett said the Garonziks injected clients with steroids in the office of their gym, Kinetics, which is now closed. Corbett said many of the steroid deliveries in the Harrisburg area took place near Gold’s Gym in Swatara Township.

He said the Garonziks, Lazaro and Gillespie obtained steroids by placing Internet orders to people in China and Mexico and paying for the via wire transfer. A grand jury investigation determined $170,000 was sent overseas between January 2004 and this year. The senders allegedly used fictitious names and structured the wire payments so they would always be less than $1,000.

Lazaro researched how to turn powder steroids into those that could be injected, and he and Gillespie started manufacturing the drugs at Lazaro’s home and branded them “Pro Lab,” Corbett says. Sassaman and Koufalis, both bodybuilders, allegedly obtained “Pro Lab” steroids from Lazaro and Gillespie and sold them to others to pay for the expense of bodybuilding competitions.

When officials searched Lazaro’s home, they allegedly seized more than nine pounds of bulk steroids, numerous syringes, a 9mm firearm and various items, such as filters, oils and alcohols used to manufacture steroids. During the course of the entire investigation, agents seized more than 700 bottles of steroids, 1,337 pills containing steroids, nine pounds of bulk steroids, $28,000 and four other firearms. The investigation is ongoing.

Operation Roid Runner targets UGLs in Pennsylvania.

Ten suspects have been arrested in connection with a steroid distribution and manufacturing scheme in four Pennsylvania counties, including Lehigh and Northampton.

State Attorney General Tom Corbett will release the details on his department's investigation, dubbed "Operation Roid Runner," at 10:30 a.m. in Harrisburg, which has resulted in arrests connected to an operation involving the use, distribution and manufacture of steroids in Lehigh, Northampton, Dauphin and Cumberland counties.

In a press release, Corbett said the investigation began in the fall of 2007. He said since 2004, the defendants have been responsible for bringing more than $170,000 worth of steroids from China and Mexico into Pennsylvania.

The identities of the defendants will be released at the news conference.

Can't find the press release they refer to online, I suspect they have leaked the story ahead of schedule.

( it's possible this is an old story that has been run by local papers by mistake, we should know in a few hours when the press release fails to appear )

23 year old cyclist banned for 20 years for supplying HGH.

"Italy's Olympic Committee, (CONI) the body which handles anti-doping cases in that country had a busy day today banning former Liquigas cyclist Giannia Da Ros for 20-years and hearing a plea of innocence from Gabriele Bosisio – the LPR rider who failed an out of competition drugs test in September. They also banned two further riders for eight and two years respectively.

23 year old Da Ros received his 20 year ban for trafficking in performance enhancing substances as the result of an Italian police operation earlier this year. He was arrested while training with the Italian national track team and charged with supplying two amateur cyclists with human growth hormone. Ten other people were also arrested in the same operation. Under UCI rules riders caught supplying others with drugs can expect lengthy bans and CONI takes an equally hard line.

CONI also dealt with two other riders involved in the alleged doping ring, Davide Lucato received an eight year ban for selling the HGH to Da Ros, and Albino Corazzin a former team mate of Da Ros got two years for buying HGH from him.

In another case LPR rider Gabriele Boisisio pleaded innocent to using EPO, the 29 year-old rider failed an out of competition test at the end of September but maintained that he has never knowlingly used doping products. Bosisio fell foul of the UCI Biological Passport programme under which blood and urine samples taken from riders throughout the season are compared with the values on their passport established through previous tests."

New Zealand's role in Operation Pangea II.

During the global operation from 16-20 November 2009, New Zealand Customs detained over 280 packages suspected of containing medicines that entered the country through the International Mail Centre. The detained packages were referred to Medsafe for additional inspection.

Although only one of these packages was found to contain a counterfeit product (Cialis, which is used to treat erectile dysfunction), other products of concern to Medsafe were found. These products included performance- and image-enhancing drugs (typically, anabolic steroids), products purporting to be herbal in nature that have been found in the past to contain western medicines, and items without any labelling or packaging that would allow the products to be correctly identified.

Jesse Haggard pleads not guilty as prosecutors seek removal of his defense lawyers.

"An alternative medicine practitioner pleaded not guilty last week to charges that he illegally sold anabolic steroids, while prosecutors sought to have his lawyers removed from the case.

It was Jesse S. Haggard's first appearance in Mobile since returning to the United States earlier this year. He was one of a dozen people named in a 198-count indictment last year as part of a long-running probe by the U.S. Attorney's office into the practices of Applied Pharmacy Services in Mobile.

Former U.S. Attorney David York has been accused of conflict of interest in steroids case.

Baer wrote that York has a conflict of interest since he was involved in the investigation that led to the prosecution and personally approved the task force that conducted the probe.

Coumanis, meanwhile, was a member of the law firm that represented a doctor who pleaded guilty to illegally prescribing steroids filled by the online pharmacy in Mobile. Baer wrote that prosecutors plan to call the doctor, Pamela Pyle, as a witness.

Coumanis declined to comment on the matter, and York could not be reached last week. Baer wrote that York told him he has no memory of his involvement in the investigation.

Haggard will remain jailed after Chief U.S. District Judge Ginny Granade affirmed the order of a federal magistrate judge in Orlando, where the defendant made his initial appearance. Haggard had been living in Costa Rica.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Donna Dobbins responded in writing that Haggard continued to advocate steroids on his blog and in a radio interview, and that he admitted fleeing the U.S. to avoid prosecution. "To release Haggard from custody now would be an invitation to disappear -- never to be seen again," she wrote.

Coumanis said declined to detail his defense but said he is eager to "get to the heart of the matter and prove his innocence."

Foxboro man faces charges in steroid case.

"A Foxboro man was arraigned Thursday on drug possession charges related to the seizure of steroids from his former home in Mansfield last month.

Jason E. Buttimer, 26, of 106 East St. in Foxboro, appeared in Attleboro District Court on a summons and pleaded innocent to 10 counts of possession of steroids, according to court records. The charges were filed by Mansfield detectives Sgt. Sam Thompson and Frank Archer who were assisting an agent from the federal Drug Enforcement Administration.

In September, police executed a search warrant of Buttimer's former home on Fairfield Park in Mansfield where they allegedly seized steroids in liquid and pill form. Buttimer is free without bail and is due back in court Jan. 12. "

Two Penn State students arrested on drug charges.

"Two students enrolled at Penn State Wilkes-Barre were arrested on Friday on charges they were selling marijuana and steroids from their apartments adjacent to the campus.

Lehman Township police Chief Harold Kocher said police seized approximately 70 vials of steroids worth about $4,000; a large amount of marijuana; drug paraphernalia, including pipes, bongs and a gas mask with a hose that connects to bongs, and money."

Canadian customs find Cypionax in jars of curry powder during Operation Pangea II.

"Canadians who buy prescription drugs and health supplements from online pharmacies may think they’re saving money, but they’re probably not getting what they paid for.

On Thursday, law-enforcement officials displayed bins overflowing with parcels intercepted at the International Mail Centre in Vancouver that were destined for addresses across the country.

The packages contained tens of thousands of pills, vials of steroids and various health remedies, most of them likely bogus and all illegally imported into the country.

“Internationally we’re seeing an increase in websites and e-mail advertisements claiming to offer cheap, legitimate and legal products. Frankly, these claims are almost entirely false,” said Sgt. Duncan Pound of the RCMP’s Border Integrity unit.

Some people may believe they are ordering prescription drugs from Canadian pharmacies, but the websites are designed to look Canadian when they are actually set up overseas by international criminal organizations, Pound said.

For example, one box intercepted this week by Canada Border Services Agency officers contained more than 5,000 foil packages of blue pills labelled as Viagra.

The pills look like the drug prescribed to treat erectile dysfunction and they still have to be tested by Health Canada, but officers have little doubt they’re fakes.

One parcel that arrived at the mail centre from Thailand on Thursday caught the attention of border services officer Mark Yee. It was supposed to contain a jar of curry powder; Yee was suspicious. He slid the parcel into an X-ray machine to take a closer look. The jar of curry powder was visible, but there was something else inside. Yee sliced open the parcel, removed the sealed jar, poured out the pungent yellow powder and exposed a tightly wrapped package hidden in the curry. It was five ampoules labelled as anabolic steroids. “It’s a fairly regular bust,” he said. The parcel will not be delivered.

Pound said it’s tough to track down the criminals who set up bogus online pharmacies so the best way to stop them is to educate Canadians about the dangers of ordering drugs over the Internet, not to mention the waste of money."

UGL Sarm S4 aka Acetamidoxolutamide lab tested by the "German Center for Preventive Doping Research"

It looks like my theory that no SARMs could be third party lab tested at the normal venues due to lack of reference samples was correct. The guys who conducted these first tests had to go to the trouble of synthesizing their own Acetamidoxolutamide and then comparing it to the sample they purchased from the blackmarket.

It turns out that the Acetamidoxolutamide being sold in 30ml volumes for 'research purposes' is the real thing but is highly overdosed at approx 150mg/ml rather than the advertised 100mg/ml.

Even without an official launch, S-4 is available on an Internet website as a bottled solution with the declaration that the product is not intended for human use. Due to the potential misuse of such compounds when being available unrestrictedly and the well documented fact that numerous counterfeit products are sold on the so-called black market, one unit (30 mL) was purchased online and delivered in a box labelled as containing face moisturizer and green tea extract. The sealed bottles did not declare any content and no further documents accompanied the package.

Major concerns result from these findings, in particular the concern that this product with considerable anabolic properties is readily available without sufficient research on its undesirable effects; this is especially significant where uncontrolled dosing is applied and drug impurities with unknown effects are present in considerable amounts as observed in the studied material. Such impurities can serve, however, as distinctive feature to differentiate a pharmaceutical product from black-market substances. With regard to sports drug testing it must be stressed that preventive doping research is essential to limit the options of cheating athletes who aim to undermine doping control systems. The present report demonstrates once more that the misuse of therapeutics in early or advanced clinical trials by athletes cannot be dismissed, especially when anecdotal evidence for the misuse of S-4 is frequently discussed in respective Internet-based chat rooms.

Interpol's Operation Pangea II targets websites "arrests in 24 countries".

"Our primary goal in Operation Pangea II is to protect the public by removing counterfeit and illicit medicines from the market, by shutting down illegal sales on the web, and by prosecuting those potentially putting lives of innocent consumers at risk," said INTERPOL Secretary General Ronald K. Noble.

Medicine regulators, police and customs officials around the world worked closely together during the crackdown from 16-20 November, focusing on the three principal components used by illegal websites to conduct trade - the Internet Service Provider (ISP), payment systems and the delivery services.

During the operation, Internet monitoring revealed 751 websites engaged in illegal activity, including offering controlled or prescription only drugs, 72 of which have now been taken down.

In addition, more than 16,000 packages were inspected by regulators and customs, 995 packages were seized and nearly 167,000 illicit and counterfeit pills - including antibiotics, steroids and slimming pills, confiscated.

Twenty-two individuals are currently under investigation for a range of crimes including illegally selling and supplying unlicensed or prescription-only medicines.

"As the very positive results of this global effort are made public, INTERPOL and its member countries will prove again that the Internet is not an anonymous safe haven for those who use it for criminal purposes.

Countries involved in Operation Pangea II were - Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Liechtenstein, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, UK and the USA."

Viagra website based in UK raided.

In a sleepy suburban street, police and undercover agents prepare to raid the HQ of a lucrative drugs ring. But this is not a squalid bedsit or dingy warehouse. It is a detached bungalow on a leafy lane in an affluent area.

Two months of investigation have led the cops and officers from the Medicines And Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to the address in Bristol, which they believe is the base for a website illegally selling Viagra.

When they produce their search warrant, the suspect, an average-looking bloke with greying hair, dressed in a green T-shirt, jeans and flip-flops, reluctantly lets them in. Shortly afterwards, he comes out of the house with his head down, a blank, defeated look on his face.

He opens the garage for the officers. Among the usual items - bikes, crates of books and old suitcases - are stacked large boxes of Jiffy bags and tablets. This is his dispatch room. After a two-hour search, 14 items of evidence are seized - the hard drives of a number of computers and thousands of pounds worth of pills, most of them stored in shoe boxes. Some of the stash is pictured above right.

The evidence is placed into forensic plastic bags and piled on his drive in full view of his neighbours. A couple of well-heeled locals stop on their way past and ask the police if there has been some kind of accident. They are simply told the activity is part of an ongoing enquiry.

Most of the tablets seized were manufactured in India. Reams of Viagra alternatives are produced legally in the country but are not licensed to be sold in the UK. Kamagra is the most popular Viagra substitute - so much so that officers are now even encountering counterfeit Kamagra as much as the "genuine" stuff.

Among the stash seized in Bristol were Kamagra tablets and jelly together with a number of other Indian Viagra copies including Erectalis, Silagra, Eriacta and the hair-loss remedy Finpecia.

Danny Lee-Frost, head of operations at the MHRA, said the raid was "as good as we could have hoped for," and added that the drugs will now be sent for testing. The medicines are likely to be fake, but the officers will only have this confirmed after extensive lab tests.

The evidence will be taken away for analysis and the suspect will be asked to attend an interview. Having already received a community service order and 12-month suspended sentence in January for fraud, the father of three, in his mid-50s, will probably be sent to prison.

Convicted British steroid source / UGL ordered to pay back profits.

A Chesterfield couple involved in a drug manufacturing ring which netted hundreds of thousands of pounds have had their profits confiscated.

Neil Ogden, aged 40, and his wife Toni, 36, of Chesterfield Road, Brimington, have been ordered to pay back £109,962 of the cash they are believed to have earned illicitly. They were part of a group which manufactured and sold illegal medicines, including unlicensed slimming and body-building supplements, one of which included the illegal Class C drug testosterone.

Neil Ogden ran gyms in Chesterfield and Matlock at the time and sold the drugs in his gyms and to shops and salons in "Derbyshire and beyond" and on the internet. He was jailed for two years in May and has now been forced to hand over some of the profits of his crime – £61,192.

His wife, Toni, who received an eight month suspended prison sentence and a 200 hour unpaid work order, helped with the financial administration and marketing of the products for their company, Slim Magic. She was ordered to pay back £48,770.

Their drugs were also sold through close friend Ian Ratcliffe, 43, of Alstonfield Drive, Allestree, who owned a nutritional products company. He was jailed for 21 months and has been told to pay back £2,434.

Five others involved in the operation were ordered to pay back a total of £7,667 at earlier hearings. In total, the eight involved in the drugs ring are said to have benefited from their crimes to the sum of £292,364 and were ordered to pay back £120,063.

Half of the cash is to go to the Government and the rest will be divided between the police, court services and the Crown Prosecution Service.

New book from famous steroid case attorney Rick Collins.

"The Alpha Male Challenge is a call to action to all men by it’s authors, James Villepigue and Rick Collins. The Alpha Male Challenge is a 10-Week plan to Burn Fat, Gain Muscle, and Build True Alpha Attitude.

What does this mean? In America today, men are fatter, sicker, more stressed, and less rested than ever before. Too many men have slipped from “alpha” to “beta,” and average testosterone levels are dropping at an alarming rate. In other words, American men are losing their masculinity.

The Alpha Male Challenge is aimed at restoring men to true Alpha Male status – a state of optimum physical, professional, mental and social performance.

This challenge is more than just a diet and workout program for men. It’s a mindset.

ProPharm sentencing press reports.

"A Columbia woman was among three people sentenced Monday in federal court on charges stemming from an international investigation into the illegal manufacturing and distribution of anabolic steroids.

April Jones, 35, of Columbia was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Nanette K. Laughrey to six months in federal prison without parole. Jones’ former husband, former Columbia resident Bryan Greggory Wilson, 40, of Kansas City was sentenced to two years and 11 months in federal prison without parole.

A third person, Jason Varner, 35, of Jefferson City was sentenced to three years of probation, including three months of home confinement.

Federal authorities said Wilson and Jones participated in a conspiracy to distribute anabolic steroids from as early as 2003 until Sept. 15, 2007. Matt Whitworth, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Missouri, said the couple ordered steroid powders over the Internet from sources in China and made Western Union payments to China.

Wilson and Jones each pleaded guilty in August 2008 to participating in a conspiracy to distribute steroids. Wilson also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering, and Jones also pleaded guilty to money laundering.

Varner pleaded guilty in July 2008 to possessing anabolic steroids with the intent to distribute. He was arrested Sept. 19, 2007, in a commuter parking lot in Columbia where he was planning to pick up an order of anabolic steroids.

Wilson, who was identified in 2007 by Drug Enforcement Administration agents in California as an underground lab operator, was arrested Sept. 15, 2007, at the Columbia United Parcel Service store when he picked up a package from China that contained approximately 1 kilogram of raw steroid powder. Jones was arrested Sept. 24, 2007, at her home.

According to a news release from Whitworth’s office, Jones admitted that she and Wilson deposited more than $870,000 into bank accounts where they comingled drug trafficking proceeds with legitimate sources of income “in order to conceal the true source of the drug proceeds.”

Whitworth said Wilson and Jones ordered the chemicals and steroid powders online, converted the raw steroid powder to pill and liquid form and used the U.S. Postal Service and other delivery services to acquire and distribute the steroids throughout the country.

As part of the investigation in Boone County, DEA agents searched two locations — a residence and a business — and seized about 612,000 dosage units of steroids, 11.4 kilograms of raw steroid powder and $60,000 in cash. Those seizures led to the arrests of Wilson and Varner, Whitworth said.

Wilson and Jones caused multiple Western Union wire transfers as payment for anabolic steroids shipped from the Peoples Republic of China. They used bank accounts to commingle their drug trafficking proceeds with any legitimate sources of income in order to conceal the true source of the drug proceeds, and also used that money to promote the steroid distribution. From 2002 through 2007, Jones admitted they deposited a total of $874,023 into those bank accounts, including $519,402 in cash deposits.

Male nurse and bodybuilder caught forging prescriptions for Testosterone.

A former nurse practitioner tried to forge his way to new heights in bodybuilding, according to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.

Instead, he’s under arrest for using bogus prescriptions to score testosterone and other drugs.

Jonathan Eschedor, 36, faces charges including obtaining a controlled substance by forgery and possessing blank prescriptions in a scheme that investigators say continued for more than a year.

The investigation revealed that Eschedor stole blank prescriptions from his former employer, Southwest Florida Urologic Associates, and forged the signature of one of its doctors.

He was then able to obtain Testosterone Cypionate, a schedule three controlled substance and an antibiotic called Levaquin.

The investigation shows Eschedor obtained a total of 28 prescriptions through refills. He also had more than fifty blank prescriptions in his possession when he was arrested.

Swedish scene 2009 summary.

I've been trying to find friendly international readers who were willing to share info on the their local steroid scene. The first guy who offered to help was Mr S from Sweden who gave us some links to Swedish steroid news stories and a little background on what's been happening there this past year. His email is in purple the translations of stories from the Swedish press in dark orange ( hopefully I havn't made it too confusing and please forgive the readability of the translations they were done by computer ). My comments are in black italics :-)

"For the past year Swedish authorities are making greater efforts to fight the increased use of anabolic steroids. Just a few months ago Swedish police undertook a large operation against competitive bodybuilders during which several of the the most successful names in the sport were stopped on their way from the gym and brought into local Police stations for drug testing, their homes were simultaneously searched."

Here's the link and translation of the story :-

"The main Swedish female body builder has been convicted of doping offenses. The last few weeks waiting for the male number one on trial. On Saturday gathered bodybuilders in Säffle for SM-races.

The the most front Swedish female body construction worker has fälla stem dopningsbrott. Since some weeks, the male one waits on legalaction. On Saturday, body construction workers are collected in Säffle for Swedish championship competitions.

Women are at a higher level and is not participating in the weekend's contest in the branch athletic fitness. She has previously won several national championships and is in his 40s.
She was taken into custody by police, as well as the 37-year-old male Swedish-number one, in connection with the drug police raids in April on a number of training facilities in Gothenburg.
Urine samples were collected at the woman and the analysis results showed that she had five anabolic androgenic steroid preparations in the body: testosterone, boldenone, drostanolone, trenbolone and stanozolol.

With the woman was seized several hundred tablets containing clenbuterol and ephedrine. The preparations are on international anti-doping agency WADA list of banned substances.
The indictment against the body builder does not apply to these tablets, but only one ampoule of doping agent stanozolol plus needles and syringes.

For this holding and its own practice, she was sentenced to 30 day fines as a punishment.
In police interrogations recognize bodybuilding author doping offense and declares that she is a few weeks later would participate in a contest in the United States. On race, she has been "slow testosterone" in the form of preparations mastoran and trenbolan.

She also claims to have taken ephedrine, clenbuterol and pink tablets, known as T 3. The latter should include thyroid hormone that increases metabolism. Clenbuterol has previously been included in asthma medications, but is now in no drug approved in Canada. The female bodybuilding author says she bought the tablets in Turkey and was working on a cure before the race in the United States.

Awaits analysis results at narkotikapolisen is taking place still the investigations against a number of the body construction workers that got catch in razzian in April. A reason to it is that the analysis results dwell from National Laboratory of Forensic Science, National Laboratory of Forensic Science. In väntan on that the investigations will be completed is oron big at the Swedish body culture association, it icke-Riksidrottsförbundsanslutna organisation that arranges competitions in bodybuilding and fitness.

On Saturday kept SM competitions in athletic fitness in Säffle, in early October, held in SM bodybuilding in Västerås. We'd love to know who they are, so that we do not get them under investigation up to the podium during the MP, "said Kenneth Jackson, chairman of the Swedish Kroppskultur League.

"The Swedish Police were even threatening to test all competitors in this year's Swedish championship. In the article below it appears “someone” tipped off the media about the ongoing investigations and convictions of several of the names that intended to enter the Swedish championship, I assume this is to make bodybuilders look bad in the public eye."

Police arrested 15 bodybuilders.

Parts of Swedish small in bodybuilding to legal prosecution. When narcotics police hit the gym several Gothenburg arrested 15 bodybuilders with anabolic steroids.

One of them we had inside died two days later, said Detective Inspector Adrian Magnus Johansson, who participated in the operation. The man, who died of sudden cardiac arrest, was a 27-year-old described as extremely well-trained.

Raids against gyms in Gothenburg - two were part of large well-known chains and some were independent training centers - was an offensive operation, and something of a pioneering work.

For the police should have the right to take urine or blood samples must be a reasonable suspicion against the person. The special feature in the operation of gyms in Gothenburg was that suspicions arose when police officers were on site.

We went in and talked to people who were at training centers. This, together with what we saw gave the degree of suspicion necessary to take urine tests, "says Magnus Adrian Johansson.

To act was made in April and investigations are now being finalized with the drug police. Of the 15 who are suspected of doping offenses, most between 22 and 35 years but there is no single aged. Four of the suspects are women. Several of the suspects belong to the elite of Swedish and international bodybuilding.

About 60 different aas-drugs (androgenic anabolic steroids) were seized and a large amount of hypodermic syringes. In addition, the drug was taken in four of body builders.

A number of steroid users were suspected of selling preparations. In some cases, it is doubtful if the allegations are. A case is considered, however, more clearly than the others. It is about a person who bore the steroid preparations, packaged and addressed.

During the raids focused on the drug cops physically largest boys and girls and there was a concern that they would face violence. But almost everything went quiet.

A number of body builders seemed almost relieved to talk about his addiction. After talking with several contestants in bodybuilding, "says Adrian Magnus Johansson: It is extremely difficult to get near the top of results lists for the non-doped.

Police drugs raids had a major impact on the gyms. For any gym was deserted for weeks afterwards and the availability of drugs to buy was very limited for some time. Our effort was described as a witch hunt. And that we may well take the credit, "says Magnus Adrian Johansson.

In the future, will the drug police do regular visits to gyms in Gothenburg. The aim is to scare away those who are doing steroids, "says Stefan Vestin, reconnaissance chief of narcotics police.

Exhale gym in central Gothenburg has a reputation of being a classic "byggargym" for people who train hard. This is the only gym in Gothenburg, which is open around the clock.

Martin Naess, president of the company that runs the gym, giving the impression of being dissatisfied with his place image. I'm trying to get away builders. I want more ordinary people, as students here, "he says. Builders pays well as everyone else? They are not people to make money. They want everything as cheaply as possible, preferably free. At the same time you advertise in the gym home gym with some of the most well-trained customer ? We are updating the website so it looks nicer, "says Martin Naess.

If anabolic steroids, he says that they exist at all gym and he sees no problem with the police announced more frequent visits to the city gym. Have the police any issues so I am ready to talk to them.

"The bad press will make it hard for these people to compete since this information also have been given to organisation running the bodybuilding competitions in in Sweden (SKF). According to the above article potential competitors with ongoing steroid investigations against them will be disqualified."

It seems Sweden, New Zealand, Australia and the USA are competing to see who can over react the most to the 'steroids' problem.

Rumor : Owners of ProPharm busted in Operation Raw Deal / Juice Box sentenced.

A post on Professional Muscle suggests that Bryan Wilson got 35 months and his ex-wife 6 months. So far I've been unable to find any mainstream press reports on the subject.

Background on the case from the DOJ website :-

John F. Wood, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Columbia, Mo., woman pleaded guilty in federal court today to participating in a conspiracy to distribute anabolic steroids and to money-laundering. Today’s conviction is the result of Operation Raw Deal, an international investigation targeting the illegal manufacturing and trafficking of anabolic steroids and its raw materials, mainly from China. The related investigation in the Western District of Missouri is called Operation Juice Box.

April Dawn Wilson, 33, of Columbia, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge William A. Knox this morning to the conspiracy charge contained in a Sept. 24, 2007, federal indictment and to the money-laundering charge contained in an information that was filed today.

On Monday, Aug. 25, 2008, her former husband and co-defendant Bryan Greggory Wilson, 39, of Kansas City, Mo., formerly of Columbia, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute anabolic steroids and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Bryan Wilson was arrested on Sept. 15, 2007, when he picked up a package from China containing approximately one kilogram of raw steroid powder at the Columbia, Mo., UPS Store. Law enforcement officers executed a search warrant of his residence in Kansas City and found numerous items consistent with the manufacture and/or conversion of anabolic steroids. Officers found two large pill presses as well as other laboratory equipment and what appeared to be finished product. They seized approximately $60,000 from Bryan Wilson’s residence and bank accounts controlled by April and Bryan Wilson.

DEA agents in California identified Bryan Wilson as an underground lab operator in February 2007. This information was developed from an international investigation into the illegal exportation of anabolic steroids from the People’s Republic of China. DEA agents in Missouri identified several Internet steroid message boards, which provide an arena to buy and distribute steroids. April and Bryan Wilson ordered the chemicals and steroid powders via the Internet, converted the raw steroid powder to pill and liquid form, and utilized the U.S. Postal Service and other package delivery service providers to acquire and distribute the steroids throughout the country.

April and Bryan Wilson caused multiple Western Union wire transfers as payment for anabolic steroids shipped from the Peoples Republic of China. They used bank accounts to comingle their drug trafficking proceeds with any legitimate sources of income in order to conceal the true source of the drug proceeds, and also used that money to promote the steroid distribution. From 2002 through 2007, April Wilson admitted, they deposited a total of $874,023 into those bank accounts, including $519,402 in cash deposits.

April Wilson admitted that on Nov. 28, 2005, she transferred a $15,000 cashier’s check – the proceeds of the illegal distribution of anabolic steroids – for payment toward a Noble M12 sports car.

Australian soldier fined $1200 for steroids.

"A DARWIN soldier caught with steroids in his room at Robertson Barracks during a hygiene inspection has been fined $1200. Joshua Alexander Norman, 21, was caught with anabolic steroids in his room at the barracks in August.

He pleaded guilty to three drugs charges in Darwin Magistrates Court yesterday - for two varieties of steroids and some cannabis seeds. His lawyer Michael Burrows told the court his client had the steroids "for aesthetic reasons".

Mr Burrows said the steroids the infantryman had were within a range consistent with personal use, and the two tablets were used together "to achieve maximum effect". "He used them for aesthetic reasons and to help him in his job at the Army," Mr Burrows said. He said Norman had regular drug tests as a member of the defence force, but had never returned a positive reading.

Magistrate John Birch convicted Norman and fined him $1200. He ordered the drugs be forfeited and destroyed."

Controlled delivery of just 372 generic Viagra ?

"During the plea hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary E. Rogers said that on March 12, 2008, agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Food and Drug Administration conducted a controlled delivery of a package from India. After signing for the package, Rogers said, Yan admitted it was his and that he had ordered it from an Internet Web site identifying itself as Canadian. It contained 372 sildenafil citrate pills without FDA approved labeling, and Yan had no prescription for the pills."

Private eyes / investigators hired to tackle steroid use in gyms and combat trade on internet.

Drug Free Sport NZ has employed Prestige Risk Management of Auckland, to follow tips about suspected drugs cheating in New Zealand sport.

However, Drug Free Sport NZ chief executive Graeme Steel said it was inevitable the investigations would become more pro-active.

That could involve putting investigators into gyms or on to internet chat forums, where information on procuring and using banned substances was freely available.

This will follow the example of Asada, Australia's anti-doping authority, which has significantly cut costly random drugs testing in favour of employing investigators.

It is considered the benchmark of effectiveness in catching cheats.

Mr Steel said that in recent years, the big doping cases had resulted from investigations. "You think of 'Balco', you think of 'Puerto'," he said, referring to operations that netted former sprint recordholders Tim Montgomery and Marion Jones and implicated Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich.

"They've been blown apart by good investigation work allied to good testing. I have no doubt that as we go forward, that will become a bigger and bigger part of what we do."

Unlike Australia, Drug Free Sport NZ's budget is 70 per cent weighted to drugs testing.

"We won't move away from drugs testing but ... our testing needs to be more focused," said Mr Steel, who has spent the past two days hosting the world's top anti-doping experts in Auckland.

His organisation has developed information-sharing relationships with police, Customs and Medsafe.

This reaped rewards last year when four Indian powerlifters were caught trying to bring ban steroids into New Zealand for a pre-Olympic event.

"Customs is probably the key [relationship]," Mr Steel said. "They have had some success in identifying drug use that the testing programme was not revealing."

The benefit of an investigation as opposed to a positive drugs test was huge, Mr Steel said.

"If you run a test and an athlete has a banned substance, well, you've got an athlete. If they just say, 'Well, you've got me', and shut up, that's it.

"Through investigations you find not only the athlete, but the suppliers and the supply routes."

Prestige Risk director Phil Jones said catching drug cheats was likely to become a growth industry. "There are many things we can do in terms of packaging up evidence that will allow the authorities to take it further."

Bodyguards and security guards are notorious for their use of steroids. The idea that the tax dollars of New Zealand residents will be spent hiring them to post on steroid forums and hang out in gyms trying to score juice is IMHO pathetic.

Vian ( Oklahoma ) man convicted in steroids case.

Bobby Brown, 38, was convicted of possession and distribution of anabolic steroids and distribution of a controlled substance to persons under 21. The jury was unable to find Brown guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of distributing or manufacturing in or near schools, U.S. Attorney Sheldon Sperling said.

Sperling said testimony established several steroid recipients were Vian High School football players, and Brown helped administer the drug.

Officials determined the time of the drug sales were between March 2006 and June 2008. Sentencing guidelines show that Brown is required to spend at least 51 to 63 months in prison, Sperling said.

The case is related to the grand jury indictment of two former law enforcement officers, who have both pleaded guilty to steroid distribution.

Sentencing is pending against former McIntosh County reserve deputy Dusty Lee Burns, 29, of Checotah, and former Creek Nation Lighthorseman Jimmy Russell Hamm II, aka “Rusty” Hamm, 31, of Checotah.

Oklahoma City bodybuilder Guy Ducasse sentenced to jail time, community service for steroid distribution.

An Oklahoma City bodybuilder who pleaded guilty in August to distributing an anabolic steroid was sentenced Friday in federal court in Tulsa to one month in jail and ordered to perform 400 hours of community service.

Guy Marc Ducasse, 46, will speak to youngsters about the dangers of steroids during those community service hours.

Claire Eagan, U.S. chief district judge for the Northern District of Oklahoma, characterized the punishment as the most unusual sentence she has ever crafted. She also placed him under court supervision for three years.

Ducasse’s guilty plea was limited to one occasion of distributing Proviron to a dentist in 2006. Ducasse said he gave the drug to the man, who he said also was his friend. He denied selling the drug to the dentist.

However, Eagan said the court has found that Ducasse distributed 4,324 units of steroids to at least seven people.

That finding contributed to the federal sentencing guidelines recommending a prison sentence of 15 to 21 months.

However, Eagan said she believes that the alternate sentence she crafted was just as — if not more — “onerous” than having Ducasse spend 15 months in prison at taxpayer expense while lifting weights.

After his release from jail in early January, Ducasse will be expected to speak to students — likely in Oklahoma City-area high schools — about the hazards of steroids and his related experience with the legal system.

Mark Woodward, a spokesman for the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control’s office in Oklahoma City, said in April 2008 that agents had opened the investigation after receiving a significant number of calls from high school coaches who were concerned about possible steroid use among their players.