An endocrinologist in the University at Buffalo's School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences has received a three-year $400,000 Junior Faculty Award from the American Diabetes Society to study the effects of low testosterone levels in young men with type 2 diabetes.
Sandeep Dhindsa, MD, assistant professor in the UB Department of Medicine, coauthored a paper published in Diabetes Care in 2008 showing that more than 50 percent of men between 18 and 35 years old with type 2 diabetes had lower than normal testosterone levels, which could interfere with their ability to father children.
Expanding on these findings, Dhindsa will study further the effects of low testosterone in this age group and conduct a clinical trial on the effects of testosterone replacement or clomiphene treatment.
"Our proposed study will be the first prospective, randomized trial to comprehensively evaluate the effect of low testosterone on insulin sensitivity, body composition, inflammation and sperm production in young men with diabetes," says Dhindsa.
"Low testosterone levels can lead to low muscle mass, more fat mass, insulin resistance, low sperm count and increased inflammation, which increases the risk of heart disease. This project will study these consequences in detail and investigate the possibility of reversing these symptoms with treatment.
"Information from this project will be useful in planning future studies that will evaluate the effect of treatment of low testosterone on mortality, heart disease and stroke," Dhindsa says.
The study will be conducted in 80 men with low testosterone and 40 men who have normal testosterone, all with type 2 diabetes. It will involve two different approaches. In one treatment arm, participants will receive testosterone injections for six months. Researchers will evaluate the effect of testosterone replacement on insulin sensitivity, body composition, inflammation and diabetes control in these men after the treatment.
Because sperm production relies on natural testosterone production in the testis, and testosterone replacement can decrease spermatogenesis, participants in a second treatment arm, will receive an oral drug called clomiphene for six months, which can increase the body's own testosterone production and thus increases sperm production.
"Clomiphene can serve as a simple oral alternative treatment to testosterone replacement, especially for men who are interested in fertility," says Dhindsa. Specifically, the study will assess the effects of low testosterone on insulin sensitivity, the ability of the body to handle glucose, fat and muscle mass at specific areas of the body, expression of mediators of inflammation in the blood and semen quality.
"We hope that this project will help us understand the state of low testosterone in young type 2 diabetic men who are in their peak fertility years, and give us insights into treatment of this condition," says Dhindsa. "With the rising prevalence of type 2 diabetes in the young, this project may have implications for public health."
British newspaper begins campaign to increase sales of HGH :-)
Human growth hormone is a muscle-pumping superdrug that can turn the worst athlete into a gold medallist but it is poisoning British sport and experts fear it will sweep London’s 2012 Olympics because it is almost impossible to detect.
Now athletes, rugby players, boxers, cyclists and weightlifters are buying HGH on the black market, a Daily Star Sunday investigation can reveal.
Last month former rugby ace Terry Newton, was found hanged after becoming the only athlete to be banned for taking the performance-enhancing substance.
And just weeks after his death we bought some in a dodgy back-street deal.
Our investigator paid £200 for a five-week course of the powder plus needles.
We were told to mix it with sterilised water and inject it into pinched fat in the stomach. The dealer in Manchester told us: “This is the real deal.
“Take this regularly, starting with this five-week course, and you’ll see massive differences. You’ll have bigger muscles, reduced body fat, higher energy levels, better skin and you’ll generally feel better.”
Our source, a 35-year-old gym instructor, then reeled off a list of sporting clients.
“I’ve got pro cyclists, athletes and boxers buying it from me. Then obviously you’ve got your bodybuilders who want it and a few rugby players too.
“I’d say about ten of the punters are amateur rugby league players in the North West.”
Rugby league star Newton, a hooker for Wakefield Wildcats, injected himself 20 times a month. He was found hanged in his garage just feet from where he stashed the drugs that sent him on the road to ruin. Terry, who died aged 31, was the first person in the world to test positive for HGH.
He was seven months into a two-year ban when he died last month.
The Wigan-born player had admitted: “I can’t believe I allowed myself to be seduced by something that promised me so much, when in the end it’s taken so much.” But despite Newton’s tragic story UK sportsmen are continuing to use HGH.
Scientists have proved the drug can improve a sprinter’s 100-metre time by up to 0.4 seconds. A 23-year-old sprinter, who runs for an athletics club in Manchester, told us: “I’ve been taking HGH for a good year now and improved my track time no end.
“I don’t think I could have smashed my personal best without the gear.”
But researchers have found the drug can cause serious complications. Heart disease, diabetes, fluid retention, breast enlargement in men and even erection problems and loss of libido have all been linked with HGH.
The fear for the London 2012 Games is that cheats may avoid getting caught because, to stand any chance of detecting the drug, tests have to be done within 24 hours of an athlete taking it.
Professor Peter Sonksen, an expert in growth hormone who has spent ten years researching a more effective test for HGH in sport, said: “Evidence suggests HGH is widely abused in sport and we just can’t catch them at the moment.
“It is a body-altering hormone which is much more potent than anabolic steroids and makes people massive. Those using it have a huge advantage over others. They become super-powerful."
“Another test is in the pipeline which I helped develop, which will be much better at spotting HGH but at the moment it isn’t being used.
“I’m convinced that when it is put into use it will be able to rout the cheats from the sport – at least far more of them than at present.”
Michael Stow, head of science and medicine at UK Anti-Doping, which runs Britain’s anti-drug policy, highlighted the dangers.
He said: “It makes body parts grow, such as jaws and bones.
“You can end up looking like you suffer from gigantism. It’s a terrible thing to get involved with on a physical level – let alone the fact it makes you a cheat.”
Now athletes, rugby players, boxers, cyclists and weightlifters are buying HGH on the black market, a Daily Star Sunday investigation can reveal.
Last month former rugby ace Terry Newton, was found hanged after becoming the only athlete to be banned for taking the performance-enhancing substance.
And just weeks after his death we bought some in a dodgy back-street deal.
Our investigator paid £200 for a five-week course of the powder plus needles.
We were told to mix it with sterilised water and inject it into pinched fat in the stomach. The dealer in Manchester told us: “This is the real deal.
“Take this regularly, starting with this five-week course, and you’ll see massive differences. You’ll have bigger muscles, reduced body fat, higher energy levels, better skin and you’ll generally feel better.”
Our source, a 35-year-old gym instructor, then reeled off a list of sporting clients.
“I’ve got pro cyclists, athletes and boxers buying it from me. Then obviously you’ve got your bodybuilders who want it and a few rugby players too.
“I’d say about ten of the punters are amateur rugby league players in the North West.”
Rugby league star Newton, a hooker for Wakefield Wildcats, injected himself 20 times a month. He was found hanged in his garage just feet from where he stashed the drugs that sent him on the road to ruin. Terry, who died aged 31, was the first person in the world to test positive for HGH.
He was seven months into a two-year ban when he died last month.
The Wigan-born player had admitted: “I can’t believe I allowed myself to be seduced by something that promised me so much, when in the end it’s taken so much.” But despite Newton’s tragic story UK sportsmen are continuing to use HGH.
Scientists have proved the drug can improve a sprinter’s 100-metre time by up to 0.4 seconds. A 23-year-old sprinter, who runs for an athletics club in Manchester, told us: “I’ve been taking HGH for a good year now and improved my track time no end.
“I don’t think I could have smashed my personal best without the gear.”
But researchers have found the drug can cause serious complications. Heart disease, diabetes, fluid retention, breast enlargement in men and even erection problems and loss of libido have all been linked with HGH.
The fear for the London 2012 Games is that cheats may avoid getting caught because, to stand any chance of detecting the drug, tests have to be done within 24 hours of an athlete taking it.
Professor Peter Sonksen, an expert in growth hormone who has spent ten years researching a more effective test for HGH in sport, said: “Evidence suggests HGH is widely abused in sport and we just can’t catch them at the moment.
“It is a body-altering hormone which is much more potent than anabolic steroids and makes people massive. Those using it have a huge advantage over others. They become super-powerful."
“Another test is in the pipeline which I helped develop, which will be much better at spotting HGH but at the moment it isn’t being used.
“I’m convinced that when it is put into use it will be able to rout the cheats from the sport – at least far more of them than at present.”
Michael Stow, head of science and medicine at UK Anti-Doping, which runs Britain’s anti-drug policy, highlighted the dangers.
He said: “It makes body parts grow, such as jaws and bones.
“You can end up looking like you suffer from gigantism. It’s a terrible thing to get involved with on a physical level – let alone the fact it makes you a cheat.”
Former Paw Paw police officer will stand trial in steroids investigation.
A steroids-dealer-turned-informant helped investigators nab a former Paw Paw police officer earlier this year after he set up a drug deal with the officer through a mutual acquaintance and “middle man,” according to testimony Friday in Van Buren County District Court.
Tom Radke, 39, of Vicksburg, testified that he met with Aaron DiPrima, 33, on March 11 at Brewster’s restaurant in Paw Paw and exchanged tablets of Fluoxymesterone, an anabolic steroid, for $100 in cash.
Radke said DiPrima, who owns Strength Beyond gym in Paw Paw, planned to deliver the pills to Robert P. Kusmack, 33, who was an officer with the Paw Paw Police Department.
At the time of the alleged drug deal, Radke’s contact with DiPrima was recorded and Radke was working with the West Michigan Enforcement Team, a Michigan State Police drug unit, and the Kalamazoo Valley Enforcement Team, which had seized steroids and other items at Radke’s Vicksburg residence on March 8.
Radke, who has not been charged in connection with the case, was one of six witnesses who testified at a probable-cause hearing for Kusmack in Van Buren County District Court.
Kusmack, who is free on a personal-recognizance bond, is charged with one count of possession of Fluoxymesterone, a two-year felony. Kusmack was terminated from the Paw Paw Police Department in May.
At the conclusion of Friday’s hearing, District Judge Robert T. Hentchel ordered Kusmack to stand trial. Kusmack is scheduled to be arraigned Nov. 8 in Van Buren County Circuit Court.
DiPrima, who was called to the stand after Radke, testified that he met with Kusmack at Brewster’s after receiving the steroids from Radke. He said he tossed a bag containing the Fluoxymesterone tablets into Kusmack’s police cruiser, which was parked outside the restaurant’s rear entrance.
Shortly after Kusmack left, police approached DiPrima inside Brewster’s. DiPrima pleaded guilty in June to possession of an analogue, a two-year felony, and was sentenced Aug. 23 under section 7411 of the Michigan Public Health Code to one year of probation, 60 hours of community service and ordered to pay court costs.
As part of his plea agreement, DiPrima agreed to cooperate with prosecutors and testify against Kusmack. The felony charge will be removed from Diprima’s record if he successfully completes probation.
After Kusmack left Brewster’s, state police stopped him a short distance from the restaurant, said Detective Sgt. Ray Durham of the Michigan State Police.
Durham said he and a fellow trooper spotted Kusmack after he left Brewster’s and waved him over to their cruiser. Durham said Kusmack was arrested at the scene and Durham conducted a search of Kusmack’s cruiser.
“We believed there were illegal drugs in the vehicle,” Durham said. “Mr. Kusmack stated that there were.” Durham said he recovered a bag of pills from Kusmack’s cruiser and turned them over to MSP Lt. Michael Anderson of the West Michigan Enforcement Team.
One of the tablets found in Kusmack’s cruiser tested positive as Fluoxymesterone, according to MSP Forensic Scientist Kimberly Zebrowski, who testified Friday.
Police documents obtained by the Kalamazoo Gazette under the Freedom of Information Act show that a tipster told police that Radke ran a lucrative steroids-distribution enterprise that supplied a client base that is alleged to have included police officers.
Radke, according to the documents and testimony on Friday, began working with police after he was detained on March 8 by KVET and an agent with the U.S. Mail Inspection Service outside a Portage post office.
Radke was at the post office to pick up a package of 50 vials of human growth hormone powder shipped from Hong Kong, according to a search warrant affidavit.
Radke eventually led KVET and WEMET to Kusmack, DiPrima and Fred Milton Jr., an 11-year veteran of the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety. Milton resigned May 4, the day Public Safety Chief Jeff Hadley was scheduled to discipline him.
DiPrima and Kusmack, at this point, are the only two suspects charged in connection with the steroids probe. Public Safety officials have said they’ve closed their case and don’t plan to pursue any other charges.
Tom Radke, 39, of Vicksburg, testified that he met with Aaron DiPrima, 33, on March 11 at Brewster’s restaurant in Paw Paw and exchanged tablets of Fluoxymesterone, an anabolic steroid, for $100 in cash.
Radke said DiPrima, who owns Strength Beyond gym in Paw Paw, planned to deliver the pills to Robert P. Kusmack, 33, who was an officer with the Paw Paw Police Department.
At the time of the alleged drug deal, Radke’s contact with DiPrima was recorded and Radke was working with the West Michigan Enforcement Team, a Michigan State Police drug unit, and the Kalamazoo Valley Enforcement Team, which had seized steroids and other items at Radke’s Vicksburg residence on March 8.
Radke, who has not been charged in connection with the case, was one of six witnesses who testified at a probable-cause hearing for Kusmack in Van Buren County District Court.
Kusmack, who is free on a personal-recognizance bond, is charged with one count of possession of Fluoxymesterone, a two-year felony. Kusmack was terminated from the Paw Paw Police Department in May.
At the conclusion of Friday’s hearing, District Judge Robert T. Hentchel ordered Kusmack to stand trial. Kusmack is scheduled to be arraigned Nov. 8 in Van Buren County Circuit Court.
DiPrima, who was called to the stand after Radke, testified that he met with Kusmack at Brewster’s after receiving the steroids from Radke. He said he tossed a bag containing the Fluoxymesterone tablets into Kusmack’s police cruiser, which was parked outside the restaurant’s rear entrance.
Shortly after Kusmack left, police approached DiPrima inside Brewster’s. DiPrima pleaded guilty in June to possession of an analogue, a two-year felony, and was sentenced Aug. 23 under section 7411 of the Michigan Public Health Code to one year of probation, 60 hours of community service and ordered to pay court costs.
As part of his plea agreement, DiPrima agreed to cooperate with prosecutors and testify against Kusmack. The felony charge will be removed from Diprima’s record if he successfully completes probation.
After Kusmack left Brewster’s, state police stopped him a short distance from the restaurant, said Detective Sgt. Ray Durham of the Michigan State Police.
Durham said he and a fellow trooper spotted Kusmack after he left Brewster’s and waved him over to their cruiser. Durham said Kusmack was arrested at the scene and Durham conducted a search of Kusmack’s cruiser.
“We believed there were illegal drugs in the vehicle,” Durham said. “Mr. Kusmack stated that there were.” Durham said he recovered a bag of pills from Kusmack’s cruiser and turned them over to MSP Lt. Michael Anderson of the West Michigan Enforcement Team.
One of the tablets found in Kusmack’s cruiser tested positive as Fluoxymesterone, according to MSP Forensic Scientist Kimberly Zebrowski, who testified Friday.
Police documents obtained by the Kalamazoo Gazette under the Freedom of Information Act show that a tipster told police that Radke ran a lucrative steroids-distribution enterprise that supplied a client base that is alleged to have included police officers.
Radke, according to the documents and testimony on Friday, began working with police after he was detained on March 8 by KVET and an agent with the U.S. Mail Inspection Service outside a Portage post office.
Radke was at the post office to pick up a package of 50 vials of human growth hormone powder shipped from Hong Kong, according to a search warrant affidavit.
Radke eventually led KVET and WEMET to Kusmack, DiPrima and Fred Milton Jr., an 11-year veteran of the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety. Milton resigned May 4, the day Public Safety Chief Jeff Hadley was scheduled to discipline him.
DiPrima and Kusmack, at this point, are the only two suspects charged in connection with the steroids probe. Public Safety officials have said they’ve closed their case and don’t plan to pursue any other charges.
5-Deca-Zol ads on Quad City radio stations lead to TV investigation show.
It's a physique many try to achieve: big bulky muscles. But some are looking for a faster, yet doctors say far more dangerous way to get there.
"They think over the counter, it must be safe," said Dr. Margaret Millar, a sports medicine specialist in Moline.
Designer steroids--man-made testosterone in a bottle--is appealing to all ages. "Statistics say it's a huge problem in our high schools," said Dr. Millar.
In a News 8 hidden camera investigation, we learn one Quad City supplement store is pushing the over-the-counter drugs to the young and inexperienced.
"This stuff works awesome," the store manager told our undercover photographer. The "stuff" is a hot seller to those wanting to get ripped fast. But not everyone is aware of its heavy price.
"I think they want a free lunch and there is no such thing," said Dr. Millar who has seen the nasty side affects in her patients. "Inability to reproduce, inability to have an erection," she said. "It makes man boobs and it shrivels up their testicles, creates hair loss and they get acne."
That laundry list of harmful reasons is why several Quad Cities supplement stores we called don't sell synthetic steroids, Except one, which not only sells them, they brag about it.
In a radio ad currently airing on Quad City radio stations, Complete Nutrition in Davenport boasts about its man-made steroid called 5-Deca-Zol.
"With these results you won't believe it's legal," the announcer says. "You won't find this product online or any other retail stores."
It's a product, Complete Nutrition markets as a "hardcore supplement". It was the first and only item pitched to our undercover weight-lifting rookie.
"This is like your hardest core thing, the 5-Deca-Zol," the Complete Nutrition store manager told him. "It'll make you throw around some weight you haven't thrown around--especially if you haven't done it before."
"Is it safe?" our photographer asks. "Yeah," replied the manager.
5-Deca-Zol is just one of many over-the-counter designer steroids that are legal to sell. But that may be changing as the FDA is now pouring more of its resources into banning the pills. In a 2009 health advisory, the FDA even warns consumers to stop using the body-building products. Some argue it's only a matter of time before products like 5-Deca-Zol become illegal.
"I think it'll probably not be on the market much longer," said Dr. Millar.
A personal trainer tells News 8, "I think they'll probably start pulling it," said Kevin Hopper, Quad Cities Sports Performance. "It's a product that's a step ahead of the FDA right now, but that's what all products are trying to do is stay one step ahead."
Complete Nutrition declined our requests for an interview. But in a statement, a company spokesperson writes,
"The products you are referring to that are found in the store, when used according to label, are safe and effective. We incorporate quality, personalized healthy solutions at our stores with the support of trained consultants. We put a huge emphasis on training our staff to work closely with customers to educate them about everything they need to know about our products, and how to use them properly."
"They think over the counter, it must be safe," said Dr. Margaret Millar, a sports medicine specialist in Moline.
Designer steroids--man-made testosterone in a bottle--is appealing to all ages. "Statistics say it's a huge problem in our high schools," said Dr. Millar.
In a News 8 hidden camera investigation, we learn one Quad City supplement store is pushing the over-the-counter drugs to the young and inexperienced.
"This stuff works awesome," the store manager told our undercover photographer. The "stuff" is a hot seller to those wanting to get ripped fast. But not everyone is aware of its heavy price.
"I think they want a free lunch and there is no such thing," said Dr. Millar who has seen the nasty side affects in her patients. "Inability to reproduce, inability to have an erection," she said. "It makes man boobs and it shrivels up their testicles, creates hair loss and they get acne."
That laundry list of harmful reasons is why several Quad Cities supplement stores we called don't sell synthetic steroids, Except one, which not only sells them, they brag about it.
In a radio ad currently airing on Quad City radio stations, Complete Nutrition in Davenport boasts about its man-made steroid called 5-Deca-Zol.
"With these results you won't believe it's legal," the announcer says. "You won't find this product online or any other retail stores."
It's a product, Complete Nutrition markets as a "hardcore supplement". It was the first and only item pitched to our undercover weight-lifting rookie.
"This is like your hardest core thing, the 5-Deca-Zol," the Complete Nutrition store manager told him. "It'll make you throw around some weight you haven't thrown around--especially if you haven't done it before."
"Is it safe?" our photographer asks. "Yeah," replied the manager.
5-Deca-Zol is just one of many over-the-counter designer steroids that are legal to sell. But that may be changing as the FDA is now pouring more of its resources into banning the pills. In a 2009 health advisory, the FDA even warns consumers to stop using the body-building products. Some argue it's only a matter of time before products like 5-Deca-Zol become illegal.
"I think it'll probably not be on the market much longer," said Dr. Millar.
A personal trainer tells News 8, "I think they'll probably start pulling it," said Kevin Hopper, Quad Cities Sports Performance. "It's a product that's a step ahead of the FDA right now, but that's what all products are trying to do is stay one step ahead."
Complete Nutrition declined our requests for an interview. But in a statement, a company spokesperson writes,
"The products you are referring to that are found in the store, when used according to label, are safe and effective. We incorporate quality, personalized healthy solutions at our stores with the support of trained consultants. We put a huge emphasis on training our staff to work closely with customers to educate them about everything they need to know about our products, and how to use them properly."
Bodybuilding promoter waives hearing on steroid charges due to Operation Roid Runner.
A promoter for local bodybuilding competitions, including one at SportsFest in Allentown, gave up his right to a preliminary hearing Thursday on charges he conspired with two others to sell steroids, and his lawyer said he is hopeful the case can dismissed once it hits Lehigh County Court.
Craig Johnson, 39, of Allentown waived his hearing before District Judge Donna Butler and must appear in court in December on a charge of criminal conspiracy. In August, agents with the state attorney general's office charged Johnson, along with two others with selling steroids.
Johnson is a promoter for Lehigh Valley NPC who once ran the bodybuilding competition at SportsFest. He has promoted several bodybuilding and top figure competitions in the Lehigh Valley, including a 2007 show held at Stabler Arena in Bethlehem, with the winners qualifying for the Mr. Olympia contest.
Jason Jenkins, Johnson's attorney, said Thursday his client thought he was helping a friend, but it turned out to be a mistake.
"We're hoping the government recognizes that this is a mistake that Craig didn't benefit from, financially or professionally," he said after the hearing at the Emmaus courtroom. "We hope that with the size and scope of this operation, they would be willing to forgive."
According to a state grand jury:
A confidential informant in August and September 2009 bought steroids from Johnson at his business, Top Physique Nutrition and Promotions in Allentown. Johnson told the informant the steroids were supplied by Edward Moyzan of Trexlertown, who did not want to deal directly with the buyer.
After the informant gave Johnson money, Moyzan would collect it. Moyzan later told investigators he bought steroids from Brian Potance of Easton, who said he bought them online.
Moyzan and Potance, a former Northampton County correctional officer, have already waived their hearing and are awaiting trial.
Two men and a woman from the Philadelphia area were also charged in August. They also waived their hearing before Butler on Thursday.
The August bust was the second phase of Operation Roid Runner, which led to 10 arrests for alleged steroid sales in November 2009.
Jenkins said his client never sold steroids to make money. Jenkins said Johnson knew someone who asked for steroids and directed him to someone who sold them. That person turned out to be an informant, he said.
Craig Johnson, 39, of Allentown waived his hearing before District Judge Donna Butler and must appear in court in December on a charge of criminal conspiracy. In August, agents with the state attorney general's office charged Johnson, along with two others with selling steroids.
Johnson is a promoter for Lehigh Valley NPC who once ran the bodybuilding competition at SportsFest. He has promoted several bodybuilding and top figure competitions in the Lehigh Valley, including a 2007 show held at Stabler Arena in Bethlehem, with the winners qualifying for the Mr. Olympia contest.
Jason Jenkins, Johnson's attorney, said Thursday his client thought he was helping a friend, but it turned out to be a mistake.
"We're hoping the government recognizes that this is a mistake that Craig didn't benefit from, financially or professionally," he said after the hearing at the Emmaus courtroom. "We hope that with the size and scope of this operation, they would be willing to forgive."
According to a state grand jury:
A confidential informant in August and September 2009 bought steroids from Johnson at his business, Top Physique Nutrition and Promotions in Allentown. Johnson told the informant the steroids were supplied by Edward Moyzan of Trexlertown, who did not want to deal directly with the buyer.
After the informant gave Johnson money, Moyzan would collect it. Moyzan later told investigators he bought steroids from Brian Potance of Easton, who said he bought them online.
Moyzan and Potance, a former Northampton County correctional officer, have already waived their hearing and are awaiting trial.
Two men and a woman from the Philadelphia area were also charged in August. They also waived their hearing before Butler on Thursday.
The August bust was the second phase of Operation Roid Runner, which led to 10 arrests for alleged steroid sales in November 2009.
Jenkins said his client never sold steroids to make money. Jenkins said Johnson knew someone who asked for steroids and directed him to someone who sold them. That person turned out to be an informant, he said.
LE claim to have found Biogen steroids during search of Oregon homes.
Taken from a Coos County Seizure Inventory Form, the following is a list of what drugs were seized:
Five syringes and four vials of Sustanon, testosterone, Dianabol, Mandrolane, an unlabeled vial and a syringe in a kitchen cabinet.
Four empty vials labeled testosterone in a kitchen drawer.
Eight vials labeled testosterone in a master bathroom vanity drawer.
One large vial of a suspected steroid in a file cabinet in bedroom 1.
Oakely glasses case with vial of red substance in a gym bag inside the home’s entryway.
Four bottles Biogen testosterone, four bottles of Biogen 3 nandrolone, two bottles of Equipoise, four bottles Biogen Scoperson 100, one bottle testosterone cypinate, and two bottles of testosterone in a downstairs bathroom.
Two unlabeled bottles, a box of cloprosdenol sodium vials, a pill bottle with unknown pills, and two empty bottles of boldenone in a bathroom drawer.
One empty bottle of testosterone in a bathroom cabinet.
Model car box containing two vials of testosterone enanthate, eight vials of boldenone and $725 in cash in a kitchen cabinet.
Two loaded vials in a kitchen freezer.
Five syringes and four vials of Sustanon, testosterone, Dianabol, Mandrolane, an unlabeled vial and a syringe in a kitchen cabinet.
Four empty vials labeled testosterone in a kitchen drawer.
Eight vials labeled testosterone in a master bathroom vanity drawer.
One large vial of a suspected steroid in a file cabinet in bedroom 1.
Oakely glasses case with vial of red substance in a gym bag inside the home’s entryway.
Four bottles Biogen testosterone, four bottles of Biogen 3 nandrolone, two bottles of Equipoise, four bottles Biogen Scoperson 100, one bottle testosterone cypinate, and two bottles of testosterone in a downstairs bathroom.
Two unlabeled bottles, a box of cloprosdenol sodium vials, a pill bottle with unknown pills, and two empty bottles of boldenone in a bathroom drawer.
One empty bottle of testosterone in a bathroom cabinet.
Model car box containing two vials of testosterone enanthate, eight vials of boldenone and $725 in cash in a kitchen cabinet.
Two loaded vials in a kitchen freezer.
Bulgarian soccer coach given four year ban for supplying designer steroid oxymesterone.
A Bulgarian soccer coach must serve a four-year ban for giving his players pills containing an anabolic steroid before matches in Cyprus.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld appeals by FIFA and the World Anti-Doping Agency that Edward Eranosian's suspension should be doubled after a Cypriot Football Association inquiry ordered a two-year sanction. Eranosian is banned until April 2013.
The former Bulgaria international "organized the systematic distribution" of pills containing oxymesterone to APOP Kinyras players one hour before matches, the court said in a ruling published Tuesday.
A CAS panel of three lawyers said players Carlos Marques and Lionel Medeiros should serve just one-year bans for failing doping tests because they identified Eranosian as the supplier.
WADA had asked for the pair, and five other players who took Eranosian's pills but were not charged, to be banned for two years but its request was dismissed.
CAS said no proof existed that the five took pills containing the steroid. They were represented at a June hearing by Howard Jacobs, an American lawyer specializing in doping cases.
Investigations began when APOP Kinyras' Portuguese players Marques and Medeiros tested positive for oxymesterone after domestic matches in October and November 2008.
They told a Cypriot FA official that Eranosian openly offered white or brown-coloured pills before matches to players in his starting lineup.
Eranosian obtained the pills in Bulgaria and told his team they were supplements containing caffeine and vitamins, the ruling said.
WADA demanded the maximum four-year ban allowed by FIFA rules for "administration of a prohibited substance," and because Eranosian refused to name his supplier.
The court banned the 49-year-old coach through April 1, 2013, and ordered him to pay 10,000 Swiss francs (C$10,432) to WADA for its legal costs.
Marques and Medeiros have since served their bans and CAS credited them for co-operating with Cypriot soccer authorities.
The court dismissed WADA's appeal to sanction their teammates, and ordered the global doping watchdog to pay 1,000 Swiss francs (C$1,043) each to the Cypriot FA and all the players involved in the case.
"Indeed some players took the pills, were subsequently tested and there was no adverse analytical finding," the court noted.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld appeals by FIFA and the World Anti-Doping Agency that Edward Eranosian's suspension should be doubled after a Cypriot Football Association inquiry ordered a two-year sanction. Eranosian is banned until April 2013.
The former Bulgaria international "organized the systematic distribution" of pills containing oxymesterone to APOP Kinyras players one hour before matches, the court said in a ruling published Tuesday.
A CAS panel of three lawyers said players Carlos Marques and Lionel Medeiros should serve just one-year bans for failing doping tests because they identified Eranosian as the supplier.
WADA had asked for the pair, and five other players who took Eranosian's pills but were not charged, to be banned for two years but its request was dismissed.
CAS said no proof existed that the five took pills containing the steroid. They were represented at a June hearing by Howard Jacobs, an American lawyer specializing in doping cases.
Investigations began when APOP Kinyras' Portuguese players Marques and Medeiros tested positive for oxymesterone after domestic matches in October and November 2008.
They told a Cypriot FA official that Eranosian openly offered white or brown-coloured pills before matches to players in his starting lineup.
Eranosian obtained the pills in Bulgaria and told his team they were supplements containing caffeine and vitamins, the ruling said.
WADA demanded the maximum four-year ban allowed by FIFA rules for "administration of a prohibited substance," and because Eranosian refused to name his supplier.
The court banned the 49-year-old coach through April 1, 2013, and ordered him to pay 10,000 Swiss francs (C$10,432) to WADA for its legal costs.
Marques and Medeiros have since served their bans and CAS credited them for co-operating with Cypriot soccer authorities.
The court dismissed WADA's appeal to sanction their teammates, and ordered the global doping watchdog to pay 1,000 Swiss francs (C$1,043) each to the Cypriot FA and all the players involved in the case.
"Indeed some players took the pills, were subsequently tested and there was no adverse analytical finding," the court noted.
Calgary cops claim to have made major steroid bust.
In their first targeted seizure of contraband steroids in years, city police say they’ve confiscated drugs with a street value of $50,000.
Following a month-long undercover operation, police drug unit members made their sting last Friday, raiding a home in the 100 block of Auburn Glen Cir. S.E.
There, officers found 21 different kinds of anabolic steriods they say were being trafficked, said Staff Sgt. Dale Ruzycki.
In a 2006 Toyota 4Runner, police also seized $91,000 in cash.
“In the past five years, we’ve seized steroids as part of other investigations but this one was targeted,” said Ruzycki.
A month ago, he said police received a tip and arranged with a suspect to make purchases of steroids.
“It was much like any other dial-a-dope arrangement,” said Ruzycki.
“We made a purchase and over the next month developed a relationship.”
The drugs are used for body building or to alter other appearances.
But anabolic steroids — legally procured with a doctor’s prescription — can be dangerous especially when trafficked without medical analysis, said Ruzycki.
“It’s from somebody who’s not medically-qualified to be prescribing this...they don’t have any idea what they’re really using,” he said.
Steroids can be harmful to the heart, liver and kidneys.
The “significant” amount of cash seized, said Ruzycki, indicates the accused had been heavily involved in steroid trafficking previously.
And he said there’s probably no shortage of contraband steroids in circulation.
“I do believe there’s a fair amount of steroids out on the street,” he said.
Late last month, Edmonton police raided a lab producing anabolic steroids and confiscated drugs with a street value of $250,000, along with $500,000 in cash.
Five people — most of them from the same family — were arrested.
In the Calgary seizure, city resident Jordan James Cutts, 36, has been charged with three counts of trafficking, two counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking and five counts of proceeds of crime.
Following a month-long undercover operation, police drug unit members made their sting last Friday, raiding a home in the 100 block of Auburn Glen Cir. S.E.
There, officers found 21 different kinds of anabolic steriods they say were being trafficked, said Staff Sgt. Dale Ruzycki.
In a 2006 Toyota 4Runner, police also seized $91,000 in cash.
“In the past five years, we’ve seized steroids as part of other investigations but this one was targeted,” said Ruzycki.
A month ago, he said police received a tip and arranged with a suspect to make purchases of steroids.
“It was much like any other dial-a-dope arrangement,” said Ruzycki.
“We made a purchase and over the next month developed a relationship.”
The drugs are used for body building or to alter other appearances.
But anabolic steroids — legally procured with a doctor’s prescription — can be dangerous especially when trafficked without medical analysis, said Ruzycki.
“It’s from somebody who’s not medically-qualified to be prescribing this...they don’t have any idea what they’re really using,” he said.
Steroids can be harmful to the heart, liver and kidneys.
The “significant” amount of cash seized, said Ruzycki, indicates the accused had been heavily involved in steroid trafficking previously.
And he said there’s probably no shortage of contraband steroids in circulation.
“I do believe there’s a fair amount of steroids out on the street,” he said.
Late last month, Edmonton police raided a lab producing anabolic steroids and confiscated drugs with a street value of $250,000, along with $500,000 in cash.
Five people — most of them from the same family — were arrested.
In the Calgary seizure, city resident Jordan James Cutts, 36, has been charged with three counts of trafficking, two counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking and five counts of proceeds of crime.
Bulgarian customs busts steroid smugglers.
Again on Saturday (October 23) was checked a car with foreign license plate, which was traveling from Iraq to the Netherlands. During the check customs officers found the number 3430 ampoules of testosterone in the trunk of the vehicle.
Doctor's assistant pleads not guilty to faking testosterone prescriptions.
A former doctor’s office employee has pleaded not guilty to felony charges of calling in fraudulent prescriptions for steroids.
Paulette Iliff, 45, entered the plea Tuesday during her arraignment in District Court. She faces three charges of procuring the administration of a controlled substance by forgery or fraud.
Iliff used to work for Dr. Donald Parker, a Gillette OB-GYN. Prosecutors say Iliff authorized steroid prescriptions for David Pearson, the husband of one of Parker’s patients.
Pearson told investigators that Iliff provided him with testosterone in exchange for methamphetamine. He also said Iliff provided him with prescriptions for painkillers and antibiotics, according to court documents.
Investigators found three prescriptions that were called in from Dr. Parker’s office for Pearson in 2008 and 2009. Each appears to have been authorized by Iliff.
When investigators asked for Pearson’s medical records, they received a letter from Parker saying, “Mr. Pearson was not our patient and was not seen in our office. We have no office record of him,” according to court documents. Iliff told investigators that Pearson’s wife called Parker’s office and said her husband wanted some steroids for a urology problem. Iliff said she called in two prescriptions for testosterone and possibly a prescription for antibiotics.
She claimed all the prescriptions were approved by Parker before she called them in, according to court documents.
After Tuesday’s arraignment, Iliff’s attorney, Christina Williams, said “there’s absolutely zero evidence” that her client ever received methamphetamine from Pearson. Williams also pointed out that Pearson is serving time for a federal drug conviction.
Paulette Iliff, 45, entered the plea Tuesday during her arraignment in District Court. She faces three charges of procuring the administration of a controlled substance by forgery or fraud.
Iliff used to work for Dr. Donald Parker, a Gillette OB-GYN. Prosecutors say Iliff authorized steroid prescriptions for David Pearson, the husband of one of Parker’s patients.
Pearson told investigators that Iliff provided him with testosterone in exchange for methamphetamine. He also said Iliff provided him with prescriptions for painkillers and antibiotics, according to court documents.
Investigators found three prescriptions that were called in from Dr. Parker’s office for Pearson in 2008 and 2009. Each appears to have been authorized by Iliff.
When investigators asked for Pearson’s medical records, they received a letter from Parker saying, “Mr. Pearson was not our patient and was not seen in our office. We have no office record of him,” according to court documents. Iliff told investigators that Pearson’s wife called Parker’s office and said her husband wanted some steroids for a urology problem. Iliff said she called in two prescriptions for testosterone and possibly a prescription for antibiotics.
She claimed all the prescriptions were approved by Parker before she called them in, according to court documents.
After Tuesday’s arraignment, Iliff’s attorney, Christina Williams, said “there’s absolutely zero evidence” that her client ever received methamphetamine from Pearson. Williams also pointed out that Pearson is serving time for a federal drug conviction.
Doctor who gave evidence against Applied Pharmacy Services given probation and small fine.
A federal judge has sentenced a doctor who cooperated with drug investigators in Mobile in a steroids probe to a year of probation.
The Press-Register newspaper reports that 55-year-old Scott A. Corliss of Greeley, Colo., was sentenced Friday.
Corliss pleaded guilty in January 2008 to withholding information about a conspiracy to write prescriptions for anabolic steroids and other performance-enhancing substances.
His guilty plea led to criminal charges against several others in the investigation of Mobile-based Applied Pharmacy Services. A prosecutor had asked for leniency on his behalf.
Prosecutors said they reached out to Corliss first because they believed he was the least guilty in the conspiracy.
As part of his plea bargain, Corliss forfeited $12,000.
The Press-Register newspaper reports that 55-year-old Scott A. Corliss of Greeley, Colo., was sentenced Friday.
Corliss pleaded guilty in January 2008 to withholding information about a conspiracy to write prescriptions for anabolic steroids and other performance-enhancing substances.
His guilty plea led to criminal charges against several others in the investigation of Mobile-based Applied Pharmacy Services. A prosecutor had asked for leniency on his behalf.
Prosecutors said they reached out to Corliss first because they believed he was the least guilty in the conspiracy.
As part of his plea bargain, Corliss forfeited $12,000.
Chris Benoit's father doesn't blame steroids.
The doctor who prescribed steroids to Chris Benoit before the wrestler killed his family and committed suicide is serving a 10-year federal sentence, but Benoit's father says it wasn't the drugs that drove his son into a homicidal rage.
Michael Benoit says extensive brain damage from years of trauma in the wrestling ring turned his son into a killer. The professional wrestler strangled his wife with a cord, killed his 7-year-old son with a choke hold and then hung himself.
"The person that committed that tragic act back in June 2007 was certainly not the Chris we knew and loved," his father told the AJC Friday. "Without that brain damage, my son would never have done what he did."
The notion of a steroidal rampage lingers in the public imagination as an explanation for the murders in the family's Fayetteville home.
That is likely in part because steroids were found there and because a toxicology report later indicated that Benoit had about 10 times the normal amount of testosterone in his system when he died.
Also, when the Drug Enforcement Administration raided the office of Dr. Phil Astin III soon after the deaths, they were armed with a search warrant that said he had prescribed, on average, a 10-month supply of anabolic steroids to Benoit every three to four weeks over the preceding year.
Yet experts noted how carefully Benoit had planned the murders. He drugged his son before killing him. That didn't fit the pattern of a "roid rage."
"None of that rings true with steroids, " Dr. Chuck Yesalis, a Penn State University professor regarded as one of the nation's foremost authorities on steroids, said at the time. "I think he was just a very troubled soul."
And, although Astin was sent to prison last year for illegally dispensing drugs, the drugs in question were pain killers, muscle relaxers and tranquilizers. When Astin pleaded guilty in January 2009, assistant U.S. Attorney John Horn told reporters that there was "no evidence in the court record" of a link between Benoit's drug use and the killings.
Michael Benoit said Friday that he didn't know what to think at the time. Then, within days of the killings, a former wrestler and acquaintance of his son approached him with a bizarre request.
Chris Nowinski, who had retired from wrestling because of a series of concussions, was involved in a fledgling effort to study a degenerative disease known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE.
Michael Benoit said he didn't know whether to trust Nowinski, but said he was encouraged to participate in the study by the medical examiner for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, which had preserved his son's body for its forensic exam.
Doctors from Nowinski's group, the Sports Legacy Institute, studied Benoit's brain and found damage consistent with multiple traumas. They said the damage would account for paranoia and depression and could have led Benoit to kill his wife and son.
Benoit's was the fifth brain of an athlete that they had inspected. "He was the worst case they had ever seen," his father said. "He had damage to every part of his brain, right down to his brain stem."
Nowinski's group has joined forces with the Boston University Medical School and over the past two years the joint venture has gotten 300 athletes to agree to undergo a battery of annual tests and to donate their brains after death, according to the Associated Press.
The athlete registry includes former NHL standout Keith Primeau and current Baltimore Ravens offensive lineman Matt Birk, according to a partial list provided to the AP. Donors to the brain bank include former Philadelphia Eagles safety Andre Waters and Penn football player Owen Thomas, both of whom committed suicide.
Those two, like Benoit, showed signs of CTE. The disease has been connected to depression and impulse control issues in NFL players who have sustained concussions.
Michael Benoit lives in Canada and didn't see his son frequently enough to notice a mental decline. But he said the signs at the murder scene -- Benoit had surrounded his victims with bibles -- and a suicide note was found in a bible in a drawer fit the profile of a CTE sufferer.
"He had a hand-written notation in there saying ‘I'm preparing to leave this earth,'" Benoit said.
He said he'd always assumed that fights in the wrestling ring were staged. While it's true they were scripted, he said, his son told him that the beatings with chairs and other furniture caused real damage.
"You're damn right it hurt, dad," his son once told him.
Michael Benoit says extensive brain damage from years of trauma in the wrestling ring turned his son into a killer. The professional wrestler strangled his wife with a cord, killed his 7-year-old son with a choke hold and then hung himself.
"The person that committed that tragic act back in June 2007 was certainly not the Chris we knew and loved," his father told the AJC Friday. "Without that brain damage, my son would never have done what he did."
The notion of a steroidal rampage lingers in the public imagination as an explanation for the murders in the family's Fayetteville home.
That is likely in part because steroids were found there and because a toxicology report later indicated that Benoit had about 10 times the normal amount of testosterone in his system when he died.
Also, when the Drug Enforcement Administration raided the office of Dr. Phil Astin III soon after the deaths, they were armed with a search warrant that said he had prescribed, on average, a 10-month supply of anabolic steroids to Benoit every three to four weeks over the preceding year.
Yet experts noted how carefully Benoit had planned the murders. He drugged his son before killing him. That didn't fit the pattern of a "roid rage."
"None of that rings true with steroids, " Dr. Chuck Yesalis, a Penn State University professor regarded as one of the nation's foremost authorities on steroids, said at the time. "I think he was just a very troubled soul."
And, although Astin was sent to prison last year for illegally dispensing drugs, the drugs in question were pain killers, muscle relaxers and tranquilizers. When Astin pleaded guilty in January 2009, assistant U.S. Attorney John Horn told reporters that there was "no evidence in the court record" of a link between Benoit's drug use and the killings.
Michael Benoit said Friday that he didn't know what to think at the time. Then, within days of the killings, a former wrestler and acquaintance of his son approached him with a bizarre request.
Chris Nowinski, who had retired from wrestling because of a series of concussions, was involved in a fledgling effort to study a degenerative disease known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE.
Michael Benoit said he didn't know whether to trust Nowinski, but said he was encouraged to participate in the study by the medical examiner for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, which had preserved his son's body for its forensic exam.
Doctors from Nowinski's group, the Sports Legacy Institute, studied Benoit's brain and found damage consistent with multiple traumas. They said the damage would account for paranoia and depression and could have led Benoit to kill his wife and son.
Benoit's was the fifth brain of an athlete that they had inspected. "He was the worst case they had ever seen," his father said. "He had damage to every part of his brain, right down to his brain stem."
Nowinski's group has joined forces with the Boston University Medical School and over the past two years the joint venture has gotten 300 athletes to agree to undergo a battery of annual tests and to donate their brains after death, according to the Associated Press.
The athlete registry includes former NHL standout Keith Primeau and current Baltimore Ravens offensive lineman Matt Birk, according to a partial list provided to the AP. Donors to the brain bank include former Philadelphia Eagles safety Andre Waters and Penn football player Owen Thomas, both of whom committed suicide.
Those two, like Benoit, showed signs of CTE. The disease has been connected to depression and impulse control issues in NFL players who have sustained concussions.
Michael Benoit lives in Canada and didn't see his son frequently enough to notice a mental decline. But he said the signs at the murder scene -- Benoit had surrounded his victims with bibles -- and a suicide note was found in a bible in a drawer fit the profile of a CTE sufferer.
"He had a hand-written notation in there saying ‘I'm preparing to leave this earth,'" Benoit said.
He said he'd always assumed that fights in the wrestling ring were staged. While it's true they were scripted, he said, his son told him that the beatings with chairs and other furniture caused real damage.
"You're damn right it hurt, dad," his son once told him.
Britain's role in Operation Pangea 3
The MHRA seized £570,000 worth of illicit and counterfeit pills between October 5 and 12, as part of an international operation targeting the online sale of counterfeit and illegal medicines.
Premises linked to 12 websites were raided across the country, the MHRA said.
Medicines seized included those for erectile dysfunction, weight loss, pain relief, human growth hormone, anti-depressants and steroids.
The Metropolitan Police Central e-Crime Unit are currently working with internet service providers to close down a further 183 websites.
Forty-five countries across the globe took part in the international enforcement Operation Pangea III which resulted in 76 people being arrested or placed under investigation across the globe. Internet monitoring revealed 694 websites potentially engaged in illegal activity including offering controlled or prescription only drugs globally.
Premises linked to 12 websites were raided across the country, the MHRA said.
Medicines seized included those for erectile dysfunction, weight loss, pain relief, human growth hormone, anti-depressants and steroids.
The Metropolitan Police Central e-Crime Unit are currently working with internet service providers to close down a further 183 websites.
Forty-five countries across the globe took part in the international enforcement Operation Pangea III which resulted in 76 people being arrested or placed under investigation across the globe. Internet monitoring revealed 694 websites potentially engaged in illegal activity including offering controlled or prescription only drugs globally.
Visa Corp details it's involvement in Operation Pangea 3.
Visa Inc. and Visa Europe today announced support for "Operation Pangea III," a global law enforcement action coordinated by INTERPOL targeting the online sale of counterfeit and illegal medicines resulting in arrests across the globe and the seizure of thousands of potentially harmful medicines. The law enforcement operation, which took place October 5-12, 2010 in more than 40 countries, is the largest of its kind in support of the International Medical Products Anti-Counterfeiting Taskforce (IMPACT). Visa Inc. and Visa Europe joined customs agencies, regulators, and Internet Service Providers around the world to provide investigative support and information to help law enforcement agencies identify and build cases against illegal pharmacies.
"This is a clear message to rogue online pharmacies around the world: you have no refills left," said Michael E. Smith, Global Risk Executive, Visa Inc. "While the vast majority of e-commerce merchants operate legitimate businesses, there are some online pharmacies that sell illegal, counterfeit products that endanger public health and erode trust in the payment system by defrauding consumers. We work with law enforcement agencies such as INTERPOL and support their crucial investigations to ensure that illegal activity does not threaten the integrity of the Visa payment system and harm cardholders."
"Visa has a framework in place to require financial institutions that work with online merchants to ensure e-commerce transactions are legal," said Stanley Skoglund Senior Vice President Payment System Risk at Visa Europe. "However, it is law enforcement actions such as Operation Pangea III that have the most significant effect on rogue pharmacies that potentially harm consumers. We're pleased to be able to support INTERPOL and global law enforcement and help curb the problem of illegal pharmaceutical sales."
In the wake of Operation Pangea III, Visa Inc. and Visa Europe reminded financial institution clients of Visa rules requiring them to review the sales practices of their merchant clients and prevent illegal transactions. Visa does not restrict specific types of goods or services purchased by Visa cardholders or sold by Visa-accepting merchants. However, all transactions must comply with applicable laws in both the country of the buyer and of the seller.
"This is a clear message to rogue online pharmacies around the world: you have no refills left," said Michael E. Smith, Global Risk Executive, Visa Inc. "While the vast majority of e-commerce merchants operate legitimate businesses, there are some online pharmacies that sell illegal, counterfeit products that endanger public health and erode trust in the payment system by defrauding consumers. We work with law enforcement agencies such as INTERPOL and support their crucial investigations to ensure that illegal activity does not threaten the integrity of the Visa payment system and harm cardholders."
"Visa has a framework in place to require financial institutions that work with online merchants to ensure e-commerce transactions are legal," said Stanley Skoglund Senior Vice President Payment System Risk at Visa Europe. "However, it is law enforcement actions such as Operation Pangea III that have the most significant effect on rogue pharmacies that potentially harm consumers. We're pleased to be able to support INTERPOL and global law enforcement and help curb the problem of illegal pharmaceutical sales."
In the wake of Operation Pangea III, Visa Inc. and Visa Europe reminded financial institution clients of Visa rules requiring them to review the sales practices of their merchant clients and prevent illegal transactions. Visa does not restrict specific types of goods or services purchased by Visa cardholders or sold by Visa-accepting merchants. However, all transactions must comply with applicable laws in both the country of the buyer and of the seller.
Author of Unauthorized Schwarzenegger Bio: Arnold Was a 'Notorious Sex Addict' and Steroid Dealer.
Arnold comes clean, and is, at least to some extent, honest. What I did learn is that Arnold is a great businessman. He always wanted to be rich. He had goals from as early as 10 years old. .. and what I found out that was shocking was that he was actually selling steroids to other bodybuilders to make a profit. He was no fool. Every bodybuilder back then took steroids.
Ireland's role in Operation Pangea 3.
Most of the Irish seizures were made at premises in Dublin or involved the searching of parcels at post depots as the items entered the State.
The drugs included weight loss and erectile dysfunction pills, mood stabilisers, antibiotics, hormones, steroids, cardiac and anti-cholesterol medicines, pain killers, anti-depressants, cancer medication and insulin.
Their sale via websites is illegal. Much of the medication seized is also of unknown origin and is suspected of being manufactured in back-street laboratories with no quality control.
The international investigation focused on the internet service providers hosting the illegal websites and the payment card systems and delivery services used by the sites.
Intelligence was gathered that identified the locations where the illegal drugs were being stored, the times when new drugs were due to enter the State and the suspects behind the operations.
The Irish Medicines Board, which led the Irish element of the operation, said the substances seized represented a serious threat to public health. Chief executive Pat O’Mahony said the websites through which the products were being sold appeared professional and genuine.
“The reality is they are an elaborate and potentially dangerous deception. You have no way of knowing what these medicines really contain, where they were made or the effect they might have on your health.”
The medicines board, which licenses medicines and medical devices, worked with Revenue’s Customs service and the Garda on the operation here.
Drugs were seized in Dublin and Cork, including warehouses and in the postal system. Other seizures were found in the homes of people identified via Garda intelligence as being involved in the illegal trade here. Stashes of drugs were hidden in the attics, kitchens and bedrooms of houses.
One seizure was made in a retail outlet. The seizures here were valued between €200 and €100,000. A total of 262,000 tablets and capsules were found here valued at €500,000.
The drugs included weight loss and erectile dysfunction pills, mood stabilisers, antibiotics, hormones, steroids, cardiac and anti-cholesterol medicines, pain killers, anti-depressants, cancer medication and insulin.
Their sale via websites is illegal. Much of the medication seized is also of unknown origin and is suspected of being manufactured in back-street laboratories with no quality control.
The international investigation focused on the internet service providers hosting the illegal websites and the payment card systems and delivery services used by the sites.
Intelligence was gathered that identified the locations where the illegal drugs were being stored, the times when new drugs were due to enter the State and the suspects behind the operations.
The Irish Medicines Board, which led the Irish element of the operation, said the substances seized represented a serious threat to public health. Chief executive Pat O’Mahony said the websites through which the products were being sold appeared professional and genuine.
“The reality is they are an elaborate and potentially dangerous deception. You have no way of knowing what these medicines really contain, where they were made or the effect they might have on your health.”
The medicines board, which licenses medicines and medical devices, worked with Revenue’s Customs service and the Garda on the operation here.
Drugs were seized in Dublin and Cork, including warehouses and in the postal system. Other seizures were found in the homes of people identified via Garda intelligence as being involved in the illegal trade here. Stashes of drugs were hidden in the attics, kitchens and bedrooms of houses.
One seizure was made in a retail outlet. The seizures here were valued between €200 and €100,000. A total of 262,000 tablets and capsules were found here valued at €500,000.
Operation Pangea 3 ended today ?
More than 40 countries have taken part in an international week of action targeting the online sale of counterfeit and illegal medicines to raise awareness of the associated health risks, resulting in arrests across the globe and the seizure of thousands of potentially harmful medicines.
Focusing on websites supplying illegal and dangerous medicines, Operation Pangea III is the largest Internet based action of its kind in support of the International Medical Products Anti-Counterfeiting Taskforce (IMPACT). It was coordinated by INTERPOL, the World Customs Organization (WCO), the Permanent Forum of International Pharmaceutical crime (PFIPC), the Heads of Medicines Agencies Working Group of Enforcement Officers (HMA WGEO), the pharmaceutical industry and the electronic payments industry.
Carried out between 5 and 12 October and involving police, customs and national medicines regulators with support from Internet Service Providers (ISPs), payment systems providers and delivery services, the global operation targeted the three main components abused in the illegal website trade: the Internet Service Provider (ISP), the electronic payment system and the delivery service.
“Through a multi-sector operation involving law enforcement and health, INTERPOL’s key objective in Operation Pangea III was to alert and protect members of the public by assisting our 188 member countries shut down illegal pharmaceutical websites, chase money flows and backtrack to the sources behind these illicit pharmaceutical products which represent such a threat to the health of the public,” said Secretary General Ronald K. Noble, pointing to the importance of key international partnership involving INTERPOL and international bodies such as the World Health Organization and the World Customs Organization.
“While this international operation, the third of its kind, shows that criminals attempting to use the Internet as an anonymous safe haven are not safe any more, we hope that that by raising public awareness about the dangers of illegal Internet pharmacies, consumers will exercise greater care when purchasing medicines online,” added Mr Noble.
During the operation which saw the 45 participating countries send intelligence to a dedicated operations centre at INTERPOL’s General Secretariat headquarters in Lyon, Internet monitoring revealed 694 websites engaged in illegal activity, 290 of which have now been shut down. In addition, some 268,000 packages were inspected by regulators and customs, almost 11,000 packages were seized and just over 1 million illicit and counterfeit pills were confiscated – including antibiotics, steroids, anti-cancer, anti-depression and anti-epileptic pills, as well as slimming or food supplement pills. Some 76 individuals are currently under investigation or under arrest for a range of offences, including illegally selling and supplying unlicensed or prescription-only medicines.
With the value of the seized illicit and counterfeit pills put at USD 2.6 million, and with this year’s operation involving 20 more countries than in the previous such operation in 2009, the head of INTERPOL praised the efforts of the parties involved.
Focusing on websites supplying illegal and dangerous medicines, Operation Pangea III is the largest Internet based action of its kind in support of the International Medical Products Anti-Counterfeiting Taskforce (IMPACT). It was coordinated by INTERPOL, the World Customs Organization (WCO), the Permanent Forum of International Pharmaceutical crime (PFIPC), the Heads of Medicines Agencies Working Group of Enforcement Officers (HMA WGEO), the pharmaceutical industry and the electronic payments industry.
Carried out between 5 and 12 October and involving police, customs and national medicines regulators with support from Internet Service Providers (ISPs), payment systems providers and delivery services, the global operation targeted the three main components abused in the illegal website trade: the Internet Service Provider (ISP), the electronic payment system and the delivery service.
“Through a multi-sector operation involving law enforcement and health, INTERPOL’s key objective in Operation Pangea III was to alert and protect members of the public by assisting our 188 member countries shut down illegal pharmaceutical websites, chase money flows and backtrack to the sources behind these illicit pharmaceutical products which represent such a threat to the health of the public,” said Secretary General Ronald K. Noble, pointing to the importance of key international partnership involving INTERPOL and international bodies such as the World Health Organization and the World Customs Organization.
“While this international operation, the third of its kind, shows that criminals attempting to use the Internet as an anonymous safe haven are not safe any more, we hope that that by raising public awareness about the dangers of illegal Internet pharmacies, consumers will exercise greater care when purchasing medicines online,” added Mr Noble.
During the operation which saw the 45 participating countries send intelligence to a dedicated operations centre at INTERPOL’s General Secretariat headquarters in Lyon, Internet monitoring revealed 694 websites engaged in illegal activity, 290 of which have now been shut down. In addition, some 268,000 packages were inspected by regulators and customs, almost 11,000 packages were seized and just over 1 million illicit and counterfeit pills were confiscated – including antibiotics, steroids, anti-cancer, anti-depression and anti-epileptic pills, as well as slimming or food supplement pills. Some 76 individuals are currently under investigation or under arrest for a range of offences, including illegally selling and supplying unlicensed or prescription-only medicines.
With the value of the seized illicit and counterfeit pills put at USD 2.6 million, and with this year’s operation involving 20 more countries than in the previous such operation in 2009, the head of INTERPOL praised the efforts of the parties involved.
Dr. Anthony Galea hit with five-count indictment by federal grand jury.
A five-count indictment handed down by a Buffalo federal grand jury Thursday night says the Canadian sports medicine guru linked to Tiger Woods, Alex Rodriguez, Carlos Beltran, Jose Reyes and other athletes smuggled banned substances into the United States and lied to border agents to avoid prosecution.
The charges in the indictment, similar to those in a criminal complaint filed by prosecutors in May, set Anthony Galea on the path to a trial.
The Toronto physician is not licensed to work in the United States, but the indictment says Galea treated 20 professional athletes in private homes and hotels in this country from October 2007 to September 2009 - and even gave them free Viagra when they requested it.
The indictment does not name the athletes but their identities could be revealed as the case moves toward trial.
Galea, the former team doctor for the Canadian Football League Toronto Argonauts, made 100 trips to treat athletes in New York and in a dozen other cities from Florida to Hawaii, billing them more than $500,000, according to the indictment.
The American investigation began in September 2009, when U.S. authorities searched a Nissan Rogue driven by Galea's assistant Mary Anne Catalano at the Peace Bridge border crossing in Buffalo. The agents found Actovegin, a derivative of calves' blood that is illegal in the U.S. and not approved for use in Canada, as well as human growth hormone, homeopathic drugs and medical equipment.
Catalano pleaded guilty earlier this year to one count of lying to agents. She was expected to be sentenced this week, but that has been postponed until January. Her Toronto attorney, Calvin Barry, has said she is cooperating with authorities.
Florida officials are also investigating whether Galea, who flew to Woods' Windermere, Fla., home last year, practiced medicine in that state without a license.
Galea works closely with Mark Lindsay, the Canadian chiropractor who managed Rodriguez's rehabilitation after hip surgery last year. BALCO founder Victor Conte told the Daily News last year that Lindsay was part of a group called "Project World Record" that worked to make Tim Montgomery the fastest man in the world. Lindsay has treated former NFL star Bill Romanowski and sprinters Marion Jones and Montgomery. All three athletes testified before the BALCO grand jury.
Galea, who also faces drug-related charges in Canada, is known for treating athletes with a legal procedure called platelet-rich plasma therapy or "blood-spinning," in which blood is drawn and spun in a centrifuge, then reinjected in an attempt to heal injuries. Galea has acknowledged that he uses HGH personally and says it can improve the quality of life for older people, but he has denied providing athletes with banned drugs. The government claims that Galea injected athletes with human growth hormone, which is banned by pro sports leagues and permitted for just a handful of uses in this country.
Beltran and Reyes have acknowledged talking to federal authorities about Galea, who has denied any wrongdoing. Rodriguez told Major League Baseball officials that he didn't receive performance-enhancing drugs from Galea.
Galea could spend up to 20 years in prison if convicted of the most serious charge in the indictment, smuggling. An arraignment has not been scheduled.
The charges in the indictment, similar to those in a criminal complaint filed by prosecutors in May, set Anthony Galea on the path to a trial.
The Toronto physician is not licensed to work in the United States, but the indictment says Galea treated 20 professional athletes in private homes and hotels in this country from October 2007 to September 2009 - and even gave them free Viagra when they requested it.
The indictment does not name the athletes but their identities could be revealed as the case moves toward trial.
Galea, the former team doctor for the Canadian Football League Toronto Argonauts, made 100 trips to treat athletes in New York and in a dozen other cities from Florida to Hawaii, billing them more than $500,000, according to the indictment.
The American investigation began in September 2009, when U.S. authorities searched a Nissan Rogue driven by Galea's assistant Mary Anne Catalano at the Peace Bridge border crossing in Buffalo. The agents found Actovegin, a derivative of calves' blood that is illegal in the U.S. and not approved for use in Canada, as well as human growth hormone, homeopathic drugs and medical equipment.
Catalano pleaded guilty earlier this year to one count of lying to agents. She was expected to be sentenced this week, but that has been postponed until January. Her Toronto attorney, Calvin Barry, has said she is cooperating with authorities.
Florida officials are also investigating whether Galea, who flew to Woods' Windermere, Fla., home last year, practiced medicine in that state without a license.
Galea works closely with Mark Lindsay, the Canadian chiropractor who managed Rodriguez's rehabilitation after hip surgery last year. BALCO founder Victor Conte told the Daily News last year that Lindsay was part of a group called "Project World Record" that worked to make Tim Montgomery the fastest man in the world. Lindsay has treated former NFL star Bill Romanowski and sprinters Marion Jones and Montgomery. All three athletes testified before the BALCO grand jury.
Galea, who also faces drug-related charges in Canada, is known for treating athletes with a legal procedure called platelet-rich plasma therapy or "blood-spinning," in which blood is drawn and spun in a centrifuge, then reinjected in an attempt to heal injuries. Galea has acknowledged that he uses HGH personally and says it can improve the quality of life for older people, but he has denied providing athletes with banned drugs. The government claims that Galea injected athletes with human growth hormone, which is banned by pro sports leagues and permitted for just a handful of uses in this country.
Beltran and Reyes have acknowledged talking to federal authorities about Galea, who has denied any wrongdoing. Rodriguez told Major League Baseball officials that he didn't receive performance-enhancing drugs from Galea.
Galea could spend up to 20 years in prison if convicted of the most serious charge in the indictment, smuggling. An arraignment has not been scheduled.
Arizona resident charged with steroids possession.
A 37-year-old Bartlesville man was charged with drug offenses after a police search of his home reportedly turned up anabolic steroids he allegedly intended to distribute.
Curtis Ray Evans bonded out of jail on $20,000 bail after his appearance this week in Washington County District Court on a felony charge of possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to distribute and misdemeanor charge of paraphernalia possession.
“It is still an open investigation,” Washington County Undersheriff Steve Johnson said Thursday. “The officers are still working it and said they anticipated more arrests may be possible as they continue to gather information.”
A confidential tip led to an investigation that culminated in a search warrant served Tuesday morning at a home in the 5400 Block of Harvard Avenue where Evans resides, Johnson said.
When he learned officers were at the home looking for anabolic steroids, Evans invited them into a bedroom where bottles of the illegal substance, syringes and packaging materials were found, a police affidavit stated.
There were labels indicating the vials contained various mixtures of testosterone, the affidavit stated.
Curtis Ray Evans bonded out of jail on $20,000 bail after his appearance this week in Washington County District Court on a felony charge of possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to distribute and misdemeanor charge of paraphernalia possession.
“It is still an open investigation,” Washington County Undersheriff Steve Johnson said Thursday. “The officers are still working it and said they anticipated more arrests may be possible as they continue to gather information.”
A confidential tip led to an investigation that culminated in a search warrant served Tuesday morning at a home in the 5400 Block of Harvard Avenue where Evans resides, Johnson said.
When he learned officers were at the home looking for anabolic steroids, Evans invited them into a bedroom where bottles of the illegal substance, syringes and packaging materials were found, a police affidavit stated.
There were labels indicating the vials contained various mixtures of testosterone, the affidavit stated.
Huge steroid trial begins in Sweden which will eventually lead to 1300 being charged.
Seventy suspects were indicted at Sundsvall district court on Tuesday for their involvement in the largest doping ring ever uncovered in Sweden.
The charges involve people who smuggled, sold and handled the doping materials.
Another 30 people are expected to be charged for their work in transporting and selling the illicit materials.
At a later stage, more than 1,000 people who bought doping materials will also be charged.
"It will be a huge strain on us. It feels incredibly challenging to have to manage such a large and extensive trial," Judge Sten Burman from the Sundsvall district court told the TT news agency.
Six people are suspected of being the ringleaders in the scandal, five of whom are already in custody.
The sixth suspect, a 45-year-old Swede suspected of leading the operations, is believed to living in Serbia off the proceeds generated from the sale of doping materials. An international arrest warrant has been issued for the man, but remains at large.
"The man managed the operations from Spain and Portugal where doping materials which had been imported from China were processed and for further transport to various addresses in Sweden," chief prosecutor Marina Amonsson told TT.
The trial will take place in several district courts, but mainly at Sundsvall district court.
"It will be totally impossible to accommodate everyone involved - nearly 200 people - in the same room, so most of the defendants and their attorneys will be present by video link connected at the Malmö, Örebro and Värmland district courts," said Burman.
"All the accused should be able to take advantage of what is said in the parts of the trial concerning the general part of the indictment," he added.
The presentation of the indictment was delayed past the scheduled 11am release on Tuesday due to the scale of the unusually extensive investigation.
"It is at the wholesale level. At a later stage, 1,000 to 1,200 buyers will face charges," Sune Nordström of the Swedish Customs Service (Tullverket) told TT on Monday.
The district court has not had enough time to go through the large volume of material and estimated that it could disclose its findings in several hours.
On May 3rd, 2009, customs seized a large parcel of anabolic steroids on the way to an address in northern Västernorrland.
"The package was sent from Malaga. We soon learned that it involved organised activity. Customs found that we would not be capable of investigating on our own without working with police," Nordström said.
Police continued an undercover investigation and on December 9th, launched a campaign with officials from customs, the enforcement service and tax administration.
The targets were about 40 people at nine different locations.
"There were 300 people who participated in the campaign. It grew into a huge case - the largest of its kind in Europe," said Nordström.
"About 100 people are covered by the indictments," said prosecutor Marina Amonsson.
The trial begins on November 1st at Sundsvall district court and will be the most comprehensive case ever held in Sweden.
During the first part of the trial, comprising nine trial days from November 1st to 18th, all the defendants and their attorneys will be present. Parts of the trial will take place at four other district courts.
The charges involve people who smuggled, sold and handled the doping materials.
Another 30 people are expected to be charged for their work in transporting and selling the illicit materials.
At a later stage, more than 1,000 people who bought doping materials will also be charged.
"It will be a huge strain on us. It feels incredibly challenging to have to manage such a large and extensive trial," Judge Sten Burman from the Sundsvall district court told the TT news agency.
Six people are suspected of being the ringleaders in the scandal, five of whom are already in custody.
The sixth suspect, a 45-year-old Swede suspected of leading the operations, is believed to living in Serbia off the proceeds generated from the sale of doping materials. An international arrest warrant has been issued for the man, but remains at large.
"The man managed the operations from Spain and Portugal where doping materials which had been imported from China were processed and for further transport to various addresses in Sweden," chief prosecutor Marina Amonsson told TT.
The trial will take place in several district courts, but mainly at Sundsvall district court.
"It will be totally impossible to accommodate everyone involved - nearly 200 people - in the same room, so most of the defendants and their attorneys will be present by video link connected at the Malmö, Örebro and Värmland district courts," said Burman.
"All the accused should be able to take advantage of what is said in the parts of the trial concerning the general part of the indictment," he added.
The presentation of the indictment was delayed past the scheduled 11am release on Tuesday due to the scale of the unusually extensive investigation.
"It is at the wholesale level. At a later stage, 1,000 to 1,200 buyers will face charges," Sune Nordström of the Swedish Customs Service (Tullverket) told TT on Monday.
The district court has not had enough time to go through the large volume of material and estimated that it could disclose its findings in several hours.
On May 3rd, 2009, customs seized a large parcel of anabolic steroids on the way to an address in northern Västernorrland.
"The package was sent from Malaga. We soon learned that it involved organised activity. Customs found that we would not be capable of investigating on our own without working with police," Nordström said.
Police continued an undercover investigation and on December 9th, launched a campaign with officials from customs, the enforcement service and tax administration.
The targets were about 40 people at nine different locations.
"There were 300 people who participated in the campaign. It grew into a huge case - the largest of its kind in Europe," said Nordström.
"About 100 people are covered by the indictments," said prosecutor Marina Amonsson.
The trial begins on November 1st at Sundsvall district court and will be the most comprehensive case ever held in Sweden.
During the first part of the trial, comprising nine trial days from November 1st to 18th, all the defendants and their attorneys will be present. Parts of the trial will take place at four other district courts.
More steroid arrests expected in Oklahoma.
One man is under arrest and authorities anticipate more arrests in a reported steroid distribution case in Bartlesville.
According to Washington County Undersheriff Steve Johnson, sheriff’s office deputies arrested 37-year-old Curtis Ray Evans on Tuesday morning on charges of possession of anabolic steroid with the intent to distribute after receiving a complaint regarding the illegal distribution of the drug.
Johnson said the arrest was a joint effort between the Bartlesville Police Department, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and the 11th Judicial District Drug Task Force.
“Our guys conducted a lengthy investigation which resulted in investigators obtaining a search warrant for a residence in the 5400 block of Harvard in Bartlesville,” Johnson said.
“Investigators on this case have advised they are still looking at the evidence and are confident that additional arrests will be made.”
According to Washington County Undersheriff Steve Johnson, sheriff’s office deputies arrested 37-year-old Curtis Ray Evans on Tuesday morning on charges of possession of anabolic steroid with the intent to distribute after receiving a complaint regarding the illegal distribution of the drug.
Johnson said the arrest was a joint effort between the Bartlesville Police Department, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and the 11th Judicial District Drug Task Force.
“Our guys conducted a lengthy investigation which resulted in investigators obtaining a search warrant for a residence in the 5400 block of Harvard in Bartlesville,” Johnson said.
“Investigators on this case have advised they are still looking at the evidence and are confident that additional arrests will be made.”
Steroid bust in North Jersey.
A months-long investigation into illegal steroids distribution at township gyms and schools produced its first arrest Tuesday when a 24-year-old township man was nabbed on his way to a Hamburg Turnpike fitness center.
Michael Massaro, of Harmer Terrace, was getting out of his car in front of the Gold’s Gym at the Wedgewood Plaza shopping center when he was stopped by a police officer with search warrants from a three-month-long investigation, Detective Captain James Clarke said.
He was charged with four counts of possession of anabolic steroids and one count of possession of a needle and syringe after police found an unspecified amount of the drug in his car and his house, Clarke said. The charges carry fines of up to $35,000 and / or a sentence of three to five years of incarceration.
“Both the Wayne police department special operations unit and the D.E.A. are continuing the investigation into the distribution of anabolic steroids in the township,” Clarke said. “We are hoping to stem the tide with this.”
Police think a “small community” of people is selling steroids in the township. While they are not connected, they likely know each other through area weight-lifting centers, Clarke said.
“Our biggest concern is the fact they may be reaching kids in the high school system in Wayne,” Clarke said.
Massaro was released on his on recognizance and is due at Wayne Municipal Court for an arraignment on Oct. 28.
The lead investigating officer was Wayne Detective Michael Zaccone. The Newark field division office of the federal Drug Enforcement Agency also assisted with the investigation.
Michael Massaro, of Harmer Terrace, was getting out of his car in front of the Gold’s Gym at the Wedgewood Plaza shopping center when he was stopped by a police officer with search warrants from a three-month-long investigation, Detective Captain James Clarke said.
He was charged with four counts of possession of anabolic steroids and one count of possession of a needle and syringe after police found an unspecified amount of the drug in his car and his house, Clarke said. The charges carry fines of up to $35,000 and / or a sentence of three to five years of incarceration.
“Both the Wayne police department special operations unit and the D.E.A. are continuing the investigation into the distribution of anabolic steroids in the township,” Clarke said. “We are hoping to stem the tide with this.”
Police think a “small community” of people is selling steroids in the township. While they are not connected, they likely know each other through area weight-lifting centers, Clarke said.
“Our biggest concern is the fact they may be reaching kids in the high school system in Wayne,” Clarke said.
Massaro was released on his on recognizance and is due at Wayne Municipal Court for an arraignment on Oct. 28.
The lead investigating officer was Wayne Detective Michael Zaccone. The Newark field division office of the federal Drug Enforcement Agency also assisted with the investigation.
Austrian doping kingpin sentenced to 15 months jail.
Austrian athletes′ manager Stefan Matschiner was sentenced to 15 months in prison Monday in Vienna, at the end of a doping trial that highlighted his central role in a Europe-wide scandal.
A Vienna court found Matschiner guilty of having sold illicit performance-boosters, and for his involvement in blood doping.
Despite the sentence, of which 14 months are to be spent on probation, the former manager will not go to prison because he already spent several weeks in remand, the Austrian press agency APA reported.
The court found sufficient evidence that banned cycling pros Bernhard Kohl of Austria and Pietro Caucchioli of Italy, as well as Danish rider Michael Rasmussen, had visited Matschiner to receive blood doping.
Kohl, a key witness in the case, said that he financed Matschiner's blood centrifuge together with Rasmussen and Austrian cross-country skiing Olympic champion Christian Hoffmann. Matschiner has denied that charge.
The disgraced sports manager also supplied the blood boosting medication to athletes, including to retired Swiss cyclist Markus Zberg, the court found.
Matschiner has admitted supplying eight athletes with growth hormones, testosterone and blood boosters, but provided only the names of Kohl and an Austrian triathlete.
A Vienna court found Matschiner guilty of having sold illicit performance-boosters, and for his involvement in blood doping.
Despite the sentence, of which 14 months are to be spent on probation, the former manager will not go to prison because he already spent several weeks in remand, the Austrian press agency APA reported.
The court found sufficient evidence that banned cycling pros Bernhard Kohl of Austria and Pietro Caucchioli of Italy, as well as Danish rider Michael Rasmussen, had visited Matschiner to receive blood doping.
Kohl, a key witness in the case, said that he financed Matschiner's blood centrifuge together with Rasmussen and Austrian cross-country skiing Olympic champion Christian Hoffmann. Matschiner has denied that charge.
The disgraced sports manager also supplied the blood boosting medication to athletes, including to retired Swiss cyclist Markus Zberg, the court found.
Matschiner has admitted supplying eight athletes with growth hormones, testosterone and blood boosters, but provided only the names of Kohl and an Austrian triathlete.
Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino from the Jersey Shore reality show denies being a juicehead :-)
"Oh never, never, never," he tells Chris Connelly when asked if he uses steroids. "The steroid look is definitely a bulkier look," he says. "I have a more thin, lean look. And I don't judge. If somebody's going to take steroids, that's their prerogative and their body. I'm worried about taking care of myself and working out and taking my body to the best it could be."
Steroid smugglers arrested in the Ukraine while trying to deliver 10 kg of Chinese raws.
Officers of the department for organized crime of the Kyiv regional office of the Ministry of Interior Affairs in coordination with officers of the Security Service of Ukraine have arrested three men on suspicion of smuggling nearly 10 kilograms of drastic anabolic steroids for a total sum of UAH 1 million in Kyiv.
Ukrainian News learned this from a statement by the department for organized crime of the Kyiv regional office of the Ministry of Interior Affairs.
Two of the suspects live in Kyiv one of the suspects live in Brovary, Kyiv region.
According to police, the suspects supplied the drastic anabolic steroids from Asia. They were arrested at an attempt to hand the anabolic steroids.
During searches, police seized 240 pills and 3 liters of Durabolin used for boosting the muscle bulk.
Incorrect use of steroids can cause diseases of liver, affect the sexual functions, and can lead to myocardial infarction.
The Pecherskyi district department of the Kyiv city office of the Ministry of Interior Affairs has instituted a criminal case under part 4 of Article 321 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (unlawful production, manufacture, purchase, transportation, transfer, possession with intent to sell or sale of any toxic or substances or toxic drugs).
Law enforcement agencies are taking measures to find a laboratory for processing the chemical substances of these medications.
Ukrainian News learned this from a statement by the department for organized crime of the Kyiv regional office of the Ministry of Interior Affairs.
Two of the suspects live in Kyiv one of the suspects live in Brovary, Kyiv region.
According to police, the suspects supplied the drastic anabolic steroids from Asia. They were arrested at an attempt to hand the anabolic steroids.
During searches, police seized 240 pills and 3 liters of Durabolin used for boosting the muscle bulk.
Incorrect use of steroids can cause diseases of liver, affect the sexual functions, and can lead to myocardial infarction.
The Pecherskyi district department of the Kyiv city office of the Ministry of Interior Affairs has instituted a criminal case under part 4 of Article 321 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (unlawful production, manufacture, purchase, transportation, transfer, possession with intent to sell or sale of any toxic or substances or toxic drugs).
Law enforcement agencies are taking measures to find a laboratory for processing the chemical substances of these medications.
New method for the long term detection of methyltestosterone.
The routinely used analytical method for detecting the abuse of anabolic steroids only allows the detection of molecules with known analytical properties. In our supplementary approach to structure-independent detection, substances are identified by their biological activity. In the present study, urines excreted after oral methyltestosterone (MT) administration were analyzed by a yeast androgen screen (YAS). The aim was to trace the excretion of MT or its metabolites in human urine samples and to compare the results with those from the established analytical method. MT and its two major metabolites were tested as pure compounds in the YAS. In a second step, the ability of the YAS to detect MT and its metabolites in urine samples was analyzed. For this purpose, a human volunteer ingested of a single dose of 5 mg methyltestosterone. Urine samples were collected after different time intervals (0-307 h) and were analyzed in the YAS and in parallel by GC/MS. Whereas the YAS was able to trace MT in urine samples at least for 14 days, the detection limits of the GC/MS method allowed follow-up until day six. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that the yeast reporter gene system could detect the activity of anabolic steroids like methyltestosterone with high sensitivity even in urine. Furthermore, the YAS was able to detect MT abuse for a longer period of time than classical GC/MS. Obviously, the system responds to long-lasting metabolites yet unidentified. Therefore, the YAS can be a powerful (pre-) screening tool with the potential that to be used to identify persistent or late screening metabolites of anabolic steroids, which could be used for an enhancement of the sensitivity of GC/MS detection techniques.
Please help out one of the good guys in our industry by making a donation.
"Access" the popular and well respected Admin from SourceAuthority.net and a friend of mine is battling cancer and needs help with his medical bills. Those of you who have Paypal can donate via this email addy "AccessDonation@gmail.com". I'm sure all donations no matter how small will be much appreciated.
Here's more info taken from a post made by the co-Admins of SourceAuthority.net.
For those who don't know, Access is battling a very aggressive form of cancer. Doctors have done much of what they can do and any remaining forms of treatment are extremely expensive and not readily covered by some health insurance agencies. So, if we are to make a difference...even to possibly make his quality of life better and/or extend his life considerably then, we need to do something.
Let this be a true test of the brotherhood of the online AAS community. Lets launch the largest donation campaign ever seen....tear down boundaries and barriers, share the common thread we all hold dear and what drives us to chase one of the most difficult lifestyles there is.
Lets do this. Please pass this info onto every forum and/or website you frequent. We would all want the same done for us.
Here's more info taken from a post made by the co-Admins of SourceAuthority.net.
For those who don't know, Access is battling a very aggressive form of cancer. Doctors have done much of what they can do and any remaining forms of treatment are extremely expensive and not readily covered by some health insurance agencies. So, if we are to make a difference...even to possibly make his quality of life better and/or extend his life considerably then, we need to do something.
Let this be a true test of the brotherhood of the online AAS community. Lets launch the largest donation campaign ever seen....tear down boundaries and barriers, share the common thread we all hold dear and what drives us to chase one of the most difficult lifestyles there is.
Lets do this. Please pass this info onto every forum and/or website you frequent. We would all want the same done for us.
Bail bondsman charged with selling and manufacturing steroids.
In arrest warrants, Sullivan’s employer is listed as Shooter’s Choice, a gun range, and he’s charged with nine counts of possession with intent to manufacture, sell and deliver steroids, as well as eight counts of selling and delivering steroids. He’s also charged with seven counts of maintaining a dwelling for selling steroids.
Sullivan also is charged with “manufacturing steroids” by putting labels on bottles to sell. Additionally, Sullivan also faces four charges of possession of drug paraphernalia.
Sullivan also is charged with “manufacturing steroids” by putting labels on bottles to sell. Additionally, Sullivan also faces four charges of possession of drug paraphernalia.
Gaspari Nutrition Nutrition Issues a Voluntary Nationwide Recall of Novedex XT.
Gaspari Nutrition Incorproated, 575 Prospect Street - Suite 230, Lakewood, NJ, announced today that it is conducting a voluntary nationwide recall of all Lot Codes of the company's dietary supplement product sold under the name Novedex XT, which was marketed "for increasing natural testosterone production" and contains 3,17-keto-etiocholetriene, also known as ATD, an anti-aromatase. Gaspari Nutrition is conducting this consumer level recall after being informed by representatives of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that 3,17-keto-etiocholetriene does not meet the definition of a dietary ingredient and therefore the product is in violation of provisions of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.
Potential adverse events associated with the use of anti-aromatases could include the following: decreased rate of bone maturation and growth, decreased sperm production, infertility, aggressive behavior, adrenal insufficiency, kidney failure, and liver dysfunction. Consumers with liver, kidney, adrenal, or prostate abnormalities are at higher risk for developing adverse events. Gaspari has received no serious adverse events in over five years of marketing Novadex XT.
Novedex XT had been sold internationally and domestically, to distributors, wholesalers, retail stores and direct to consumers, but was discontinued by Gaspari Nutrition for domestic sales on October 4th 2010. The product was sold in blue bottles with a black cap, containing sixty (60) capsules.
Consumers who have Novedex XT in their possession should stop using it immediately. If consumers experience any adverse side effects due to consumption of this product, they should immediately contact a physician.
Potential adverse events associated with the use of anti-aromatases could include the following: decreased rate of bone maturation and growth, decreased sperm production, infertility, aggressive behavior, adrenal insufficiency, kidney failure, and liver dysfunction. Consumers with liver, kidney, adrenal, or prostate abnormalities are at higher risk for developing adverse events. Gaspari has received no serious adverse events in over five years of marketing Novadex XT.
Novedex XT had been sold internationally and domestically, to distributors, wholesalers, retail stores and direct to consumers, but was discontinued by Gaspari Nutrition for domestic sales on October 4th 2010. The product was sold in blue bottles with a black cap, containing sixty (60) capsules.
Consumers who have Novedex XT in their possession should stop using it immediately. If consumers experience any adverse side effects due to consumption of this product, they should immediately contact a physician.
GeneScience of China ( maker of Jintropin HGH ) pleads guilty in US court gets $7.5 million fine.
A Chinese company and its chief executive have agreed to plead guilty to federal charges of illegally selling human growth hormone and will pay a total $7.5 million.
Lei Jin and his company, Genescience Pharmaceutical Co., were scheduled to enter the guilty pleas and be sentenced Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Providence, R.I. The company has agreed to plead to a felony and Jin to a misdemeanor, according to court documents.
Genescience Pharmaceutical sold the drug under the brand name Jintropin without approval from the Food and Drug Administration. The firm was charged in 2007 during a massive crackdown on illegal sports doping, dubbed Operation Raw Deal, in which 120 people were arrested, and 11.4 million doses of drugs were seized.
The investigation crippled the company, which the government believes is responsible for nearly 90 percent of the illegal human growth hormone found in the United States, said Jason Simonian, a special agent with the Food and Drug Administration. Investigators used wire transfers and e-mails from the company to track shipments across the world, Simonian said.
"We've vertically taken out every step of the process," Simonian said. "It shows the bad guys that no matter where they are in the world, we have the ability to reach out and take their money, and I think that's one of the most significant parts of the case."
As part of the plea agreement, the company and the executive will forfeit $4.5 million and set up a $3 million fund that will work against doping in sports by providing grants for education and scientific research. The fund will be administered by the Rhode Island Foundation.
Lawyers for the company and for Jin did not immediately return calls seeking comment.
The FDA closely regulates the use of human growth hormone, allowing it to be prescribed for certain medical conditions but not for anti-aging, bodybuilding or weight loss.
Jintropin is widely used to build muscle mass and, in 2007, actor Sylvester Stallone was convicted of importing dozens of vials of the drug into Australia. He later defended its use.
Lei Jin and his company, Genescience Pharmaceutical Co., were scheduled to enter the guilty pleas and be sentenced Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Providence, R.I. The company has agreed to plead to a felony and Jin to a misdemeanor, according to court documents.
Genescience Pharmaceutical sold the drug under the brand name Jintropin without approval from the Food and Drug Administration. The firm was charged in 2007 during a massive crackdown on illegal sports doping, dubbed Operation Raw Deal, in which 120 people were arrested, and 11.4 million doses of drugs were seized.
The investigation crippled the company, which the government believes is responsible for nearly 90 percent of the illegal human growth hormone found in the United States, said Jason Simonian, a special agent with the Food and Drug Administration. Investigators used wire transfers and e-mails from the company to track shipments across the world, Simonian said.
"We've vertically taken out every step of the process," Simonian said. "It shows the bad guys that no matter where they are in the world, we have the ability to reach out and take their money, and I think that's one of the most significant parts of the case."
As part of the plea agreement, the company and the executive will forfeit $4.5 million and set up a $3 million fund that will work against doping in sports by providing grants for education and scientific research. The fund will be administered by the Rhode Island Foundation.
Lawyers for the company and for Jin did not immediately return calls seeking comment.
The FDA closely regulates the use of human growth hormone, allowing it to be prescribed for certain medical conditions but not for anti-aging, bodybuilding or weight loss.
Jintropin is widely used to build muscle mass and, in 2007, actor Sylvester Stallone was convicted of importing dozens of vials of the drug into Australia. He later defended its use.
Canadian steroid homebrewers raided.
Police have arrested two men and laid a total of 16 charges following a drug bust in two Parkdale area homes.
Police executed a search warrant on Saturday, and located a quantity of both powder and liquid steroids, along with a small amount of marijuana, adding up to a street value of $50,000.
Jerome Bravo, 30 and Shaun DaCosta, 28, face three and 13 charges respectively, some of which include trafficking and possessing steroids, and trafficking and possessing marijuana.
In addition, police allege Shaun DaCosta sold methamphetamines to an undercover officer.
Both men made court appearances in the past week.
Police executed a search warrant on Saturday, and located a quantity of both powder and liquid steroids, along with a small amount of marijuana, adding up to a street value of $50,000.
Jerome Bravo, 30 and Shaun DaCosta, 28, face three and 13 charges respectively, some of which include trafficking and possessing steroids, and trafficking and possessing marijuana.
In addition, police allege Shaun DaCosta sold methamphetamines to an undercover officer.
Both men made court appearances in the past week.
Two Bangkok pharmacies and their warehouses raided.
( no specific mention of steroids but there appears to be a huge pile of Danabol DS at the back right of the pic )
A joint task force of police and health officials searched four drug stockrooms, two of which operated as pharmacies under the Thanyaporn name, in Din Daeng district on Tuesday following a tip-off that they were distribution points for fake, unauthorised and restricted drugs.
They found more than 200 varieties of fake pharmaceuticals, unauthorised generic drugs and illegally imported products.
Seized items included products for HIV/Aids, cancer, high blood pressure, erectile dysfunction and birth control, plus antidepressants, antibiotics and cough medicines.
Pol Maj Gen Jaturong Phummarin, head of the Consumer Protection Division, said police would expand the investigation to cover the network supplied by the raided stores.
The stores were in business for more than 10 years and were believed to supply medicinal products to other stores in Bangkok and in the provinces, he said.
Pol Maj Gen Jaturong said police were looking into whether the owners of the drugstores were pharmacists. If so, their licences would be revoked.
The owners of the warehouses face charges of smuggling and distributing restricted drugs and selling counterfeit and unregistered drugs. No one has so far been arrested.
Food and Drug Administration secretary-general Pipat Yingseri called on consumers yesterday not to buy restricted drugs without a doctor's prescription.
He said fake drugs could be lethal while the quality of illegally imported genuine drugs might be substandard.
The quality of medicines depended on where and how they had been kept, Dr Pipat said.
Public Health Minister Jurin Laksanavisit said the latest haul of fake medicines was part of the ministry's campaign to keep substandard drugs away from consumers.
Pharmacist from Applied Pharmacy Services gets six and and a half year sentence for steroids.
A pharmacist convicted of steroids offenses will be going to prison for 6 and a half years, but the judge agreed to delay the sentence until the sister of the defendant’s ex-wife gets a bone marrow transplant.
Jodi C. Silvio was a part owner and secretary of Applied Pharmacy Services, a compounding pharmacy in Mobile that supplied anabolic steroids to thousands of customers across the country. At one time, he also served as supervising pharmacist there.
Silvio, 51, was found guilty after a five-week trial in Mobile’s federal court. He also pleaded guilty to health care fraud in an unrelated case.
U.S. District Judge Ginny Granade sentenced Silvio to 6½ years in prison but agreed to delay his prison term by six months after hearing an impassioned plea from Lydia Bennett, who said that she needs a bone marrow transplant in order to beat leukemia.
Bennett said she needs her sister to care for her for 100 days in a protected environment while she recovers. During that time, she said, Silvio will be the only one who can care for a child that he and his ex-wife adopted when they were married.
“We desperately need Jodi to take care of K.J. while I fight for my life,” Bennett said. Granade said she is open to extending the delay if Bennett needs more time.
Jodi C. Silvio was a part owner and secretary of Applied Pharmacy Services, a compounding pharmacy in Mobile that supplied anabolic steroids to thousands of customers across the country. At one time, he also served as supervising pharmacist there.
Silvio, 51, was found guilty after a five-week trial in Mobile’s federal court. He also pleaded guilty to health care fraud in an unrelated case.
U.S. District Judge Ginny Granade sentenced Silvio to 6½ years in prison but agreed to delay his prison term by six months after hearing an impassioned plea from Lydia Bennett, who said that she needs a bone marrow transplant in order to beat leukemia.
Bennett said she needs her sister to care for her for 100 days in a protected environment while she recovers. During that time, she said, Silvio will be the only one who can care for a child that he and his ex-wife adopted when they were married.
“We desperately need Jodi to take care of K.J. while I fight for my life,” Bennett said. Granade said she is open to extending the delay if Bennett needs more time.
Iranian source arrested in Kuwait.
Sal-miya securitymen arrested an Iranian coach, who works at a health club, for selling fake steroids and protein drinks to budding athletes, reports Al-Watan Arabic daily.
Sources say many of the suspect’s clients fell ill or developed deformities after consuming the ‘drugs’.
Director of Hawalli Investigation Department Colonel Abdulrahman Al-Suhail reportedly formed a team to investigate the case. The team put the suspect under surveillance for some time and then set up a trap and arrested him red-handed.
Sources say many of the suspect’s clients fell ill or developed deformities after consuming the ‘drugs’.
Director of Hawalli Investigation Department Colonel Abdulrahman Al-Suhail reportedly formed a team to investigate the case. The team put the suspect under surveillance for some time and then set up a trap and arrested him red-handed.
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