Sri Lanka batsman Upul Tharanga failed a random doping test during the Cricket World Cup, a Colombo newspaper said on Sunday, though the ICC declined to confirm the report.
Sri Lanka's Sunday Times said Tharanga has already retained a lawyer to defend himself at an upcoming International Cricket Council inquiry, quoting unnamed sources.
The report said Tharanga has claimed that he was given a steroid by a faith healer in Colombo who also treated other international players.
"There's nothing I can say at this stage," ICC spokesman James Fitzgerald said in response to the report.
British bodybuilder busted for pack of Valium sent from Pakistan.
Michael Coats, who is a former pupil of George Heriot's School, was caught red-handed when police mounted a sting operation on a postal box after intercepting the package.
The 28-year-old bodybuilder, from Relugas Place in Blackford, admitted being concerned in the supply of the class C drug while on bail, despite insisting he thought he had been picking up his order of steroids.
He claimed he had not ordered the diazepam, worth up to £6400, and instead blamed his friend, Alexander Robb, who rented the box at Mailboxes Etc in Morningside Road.
Coats, an electrical engineering student, pleaded guilty during a hearing at Edinburgh Sheriff Court yesterday.
Depute fiscal Dev Kapadia said: "On April 22 last year, a package addressed to Alexander Robb was intercepted by customs officers in Coventry at the Royal Mail international hub. The package was examined and was found to contain 6400 diazepam tablets.
"The package, which was sent from Pakistan, was re-packed and sent to the post box address in Edinburgh. Lothian and Borders Police were advised by customs and it was found that the post box itself had been opened in 2009 by Alexander Robb.
"On April 26, the package was delivered and Michael Coats attended at the shop to pick it up where he was seized by police.
"Michael Coats advised officers that Alexander Robb had allowed him to use the mail box for the importation of steroids."
Mr Kapadia said the diazepam seized by police could have fetched between £1700 and £6400 depending on whether the tablets were sold in bulk or individually.
He added: "The Crown do not accept he did not know the package contained diazepam."
Coats' defence agent, Katherine More, said: "Alexander Robb was someone Michael Coats knew for 20 years and trusted. He did not know the package contained diazepam. That package was destined for Alexander Robb, who must have been responsible. Michael Coats went to the mail box to pick up steroids."
On the street, a 10mg tablet of diazepam is available for £1 or less. Diazepam is smuggled into Scotland from legitimate sources in Europe, while it is also being bought over the internet from India, Pakistan and Thailand.
The 28-year-old bodybuilder, from Relugas Place in Blackford, admitted being concerned in the supply of the class C drug while on bail, despite insisting he thought he had been picking up his order of steroids.
He claimed he had not ordered the diazepam, worth up to £6400, and instead blamed his friend, Alexander Robb, who rented the box at Mailboxes Etc in Morningside Road.
Coats, an electrical engineering student, pleaded guilty during a hearing at Edinburgh Sheriff Court yesterday.
Depute fiscal Dev Kapadia said: "On April 22 last year, a package addressed to Alexander Robb was intercepted by customs officers in Coventry at the Royal Mail international hub. The package was examined and was found to contain 6400 diazepam tablets.
"The package, which was sent from Pakistan, was re-packed and sent to the post box address in Edinburgh. Lothian and Borders Police were advised by customs and it was found that the post box itself had been opened in 2009 by Alexander Robb.
"On April 26, the package was delivered and Michael Coats attended at the shop to pick it up where he was seized by police.
"Michael Coats advised officers that Alexander Robb had allowed him to use the mail box for the importation of steroids."
Mr Kapadia said the diazepam seized by police could have fetched between £1700 and £6400 depending on whether the tablets were sold in bulk or individually.
He added: "The Crown do not accept he did not know the package contained diazepam."
Coats' defence agent, Katherine More, said: "Alexander Robb was someone Michael Coats knew for 20 years and trusted. He did not know the package contained diazepam. That package was destined for Alexander Robb, who must have been responsible. Michael Coats went to the mail box to pick up steroids."
On the street, a 10mg tablet of diazepam is available for £1 or less. Diazepam is smuggled into Scotland from legitimate sources in Europe, while it is also being bought over the internet from India, Pakistan and Thailand.
Malaysian athletic coach may have been giving team steroids.
The scandal surrounding several national athletes who went missing a fter being asked to take a doping test has taken a surprising twist — three athletes now claim they were given drugs by a coach.
Sources within the sports fraternity say the trio were told by the coach the drugs were not performance-enhancers.
They were instead told the drugs, described as "pink-coloured pills", were meant for "recovery and relaxation".
A source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the athletes claimed they were in the dark over what the pills were.
" The athletes claimed they were merely following instructions to take the pink pills, without knowing what the nature of the drugs were," claimed the source.
This latest allegation has set tongues wagging among the fraternity, already troubled by the baffling conduct of its athletes who went AWOL.
Six sprinters — Mohd Noor Imran Ab Hadi, Siti Zubaidah Adabi, Yee Li Leng, Norjannah Hafiszah, Siti Fatima Mohamed and Nurul Sarah Abd Kadir — went missing when they were asked to attend a doping test at the National Sports Institute (NSI) on Tuesday.
However, three of them — Siti Fatima, Siti Zubaidah and Li Leng — met with National Sports Council (NSC) director-general Datuk Zolkples Embong on Wednesday to explain the circumstances which forced them to "run away".
The whereabouts of the other athletes and chief coach Harun Rasheed are unknown. There are allegations they le ft for Bulgaria on Wednesday night.
This surprised Zolkples as the athletics squad was only supposed to leave for Bulgaria for training and competition on Saturday.
"My only concern is to rescue the athletes. They are naive and have been misled," said Zolkples.
" The three girls said they were told not to go for the doping test by officials. They were also met by two offcials in Serdang and told to prepare for an earlier-than-scheduled departure to Bulgaria.
"They were also apparently told to switch off their mobile phones and not to entertain calls from anybody."
Zolkples said "guilty conscience" compelled the girls to meet him and he advised them to undergo the doping test, which the three athletes did on Thursday morning.
However, he also said he was uncertain if the athletes were supplied performance-enhancing or any other drugs.
NSC athletics coordinator Datuk M. Magendran had also been trying to reach Harun and Malaysian Amateur Athletics Union (MAAU) deputy president Karim Ibrahim since the athletes failed to show up for the doping test but to no avail.
"Magendran told me Harun, especially, has never failed to respond to his calls or SMSes. But this time around, he was totally cut off. We don't know where they are. I, too, heard they left for Bulgaria and even if that is true, we don't know where in Bulgaria they are now.
"This is serious and I'm concerned for the athletes. I don't want anyone to speculate or judge the athletes. All I can say is that three athletes did indeed come for the doping test this morning. The results will be known in four days."
Sources within the sports fraternity say the trio were told by the coach the drugs were not performance-enhancers.
They were instead told the drugs, described as "pink-coloured pills", were meant for "recovery and relaxation".
A source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the athletes claimed they were in the dark over what the pills were.
" The athletes claimed they were merely following instructions to take the pink pills, without knowing what the nature of the drugs were," claimed the source.
This latest allegation has set tongues wagging among the fraternity, already troubled by the baffling conduct of its athletes who went AWOL.
Six sprinters — Mohd Noor Imran Ab Hadi, Siti Zubaidah Adabi, Yee Li Leng, Norjannah Hafiszah, Siti Fatima Mohamed and Nurul Sarah Abd Kadir — went missing when they were asked to attend a doping test at the National Sports Institute (NSI) on Tuesday.
However, three of them — Siti Fatima, Siti Zubaidah and Li Leng — met with National Sports Council (NSC) director-general Datuk Zolkples Embong on Wednesday to explain the circumstances which forced them to "run away".
The whereabouts of the other athletes and chief coach Harun Rasheed are unknown. There are allegations they le ft for Bulgaria on Wednesday night.
This surprised Zolkples as the athletics squad was only supposed to leave for Bulgaria for training and competition on Saturday.
"My only concern is to rescue the athletes. They are naive and have been misled," said Zolkples.
" The three girls said they were told not to go for the doping test by officials. They were also met by two offcials in Serdang and told to prepare for an earlier-than-scheduled departure to Bulgaria.
"They were also apparently told to switch off their mobile phones and not to entertain calls from anybody."
Zolkples said "guilty conscience" compelled the girls to meet him and he advised them to undergo the doping test, which the three athletes did on Thursday morning.
However, he also said he was uncertain if the athletes were supplied performance-enhancing or any other drugs.
NSC athletics coordinator Datuk M. Magendran had also been trying to reach Harun and Malaysian Amateur Athletics Union (MAAU) deputy president Karim Ibrahim since the athletes failed to show up for the doping test but to no avail.
"Magendran told me Harun, especially, has never failed to respond to his calls or SMSes. But this time around, he was totally cut off. We don't know where they are. I, too, heard they left for Bulgaria and even if that is true, we don't know where in Bulgaria they are now.
"This is serious and I'm concerned for the athletes. I don't want anyone to speculate or judge the athletes. All I can say is that three athletes did indeed come for the doping test this morning. The results will be known in four days."
Detroit man caught selling chinese made counterfeit Viagra.
A Detroit man is wanted for allegedly running a counterfeit Viagra and Cialis drug ring that he described as “a little hustle” that made him $200 a week, according to an affidavit filed today in U.S. District Court.
The affidavit seeks an arrest warrant for Gene Hardwick, 49, who came to the attention of federal agents last year after a package containing 901 fake Viagra pills was addressed to his apartment on Riverfront Drive. The package, which was intercepted in January 2010 at the O’Hare International Mail Branch in Chicago, was shipped from China. The shipping label said it contained a “gift bag” valued at $16.
When federal agents opened the bag, they discovered 901 diamond-shaped blue pills embossed with “Pfizer” on one side and “VGR 100” on the other, the affidavit said. The pills turned out to be fake, it said.
A week later, federal agents interviewed Hardwick at his apartment, and told him he was not under arrest. When asked about the pills, “Hardwick stated he thought the pills were generic … He also stated that he has purchased Viagra and Cialis from various Internet websites associated with China for the past 12 months,” the affidavit said.
According to the affidavit, Hardwick paid 50 cents per pill, then sold them for $3 to $4 a pill to associates, keeping some for personal use. The pills typically arrived in a purse or women’s handbag, the document stated.
“Hardwick stated he makes approximately two hundred dollars ($200) per week and described his activity as 'a little hustle,'"the federal agent wrote in his affidavit.
Hardwick paid for the pills via Western Union, and said that in the past 12 months, he had wired roughly $8,000 to a man in China for the pills, the affidavit said.
Hardwick said that he kept a portion of the pills for personal use, and sold the others to unnamed associates.
With Hardwick’s permission, federal agents searched Hardwick’s home and vehicle, which contained 40 boxes of purported Cialis.
Like the Viagra discovered at the airport, the affidavit said, the Cialis in his car also turned out to be fake.
On March 17, Hardwick was arrested in Detroit. He was arraigned and released on bond, on the condition that he not commit any additional criminal acts.
The next day, on May 18, a federal search warrant was authorized on a home in Livonia, which was listed in Hardwick’s name. There, agents found more counterfeit Viagra and Cialis pills, and fresh orders for more pills, indicating Hardwick, though on bond, was still running an illegal prescription drug operation, the affidavit said.
That triggered the second request for an arrest warrant.
Hardwick’s lawyer, Paul Curtis, was unavailable for comment.
The affidavit seeks an arrest warrant for Gene Hardwick, 49, who came to the attention of federal agents last year after a package containing 901 fake Viagra pills was addressed to his apartment on Riverfront Drive. The package, which was intercepted in January 2010 at the O’Hare International Mail Branch in Chicago, was shipped from China. The shipping label said it contained a “gift bag” valued at $16.
When federal agents opened the bag, they discovered 901 diamond-shaped blue pills embossed with “Pfizer” on one side and “VGR 100” on the other, the affidavit said. The pills turned out to be fake, it said.
A week later, federal agents interviewed Hardwick at his apartment, and told him he was not under arrest. When asked about the pills, “Hardwick stated he thought the pills were generic … He also stated that he has purchased Viagra and Cialis from various Internet websites associated with China for the past 12 months,” the affidavit said.
According to the affidavit, Hardwick paid 50 cents per pill, then sold them for $3 to $4 a pill to associates, keeping some for personal use. The pills typically arrived in a purse or women’s handbag, the document stated.
“Hardwick stated he makes approximately two hundred dollars ($200) per week and described his activity as 'a little hustle,'"the federal agent wrote in his affidavit.
Hardwick paid for the pills via Western Union, and said that in the past 12 months, he had wired roughly $8,000 to a man in China for the pills, the affidavit said.
Hardwick said that he kept a portion of the pills for personal use, and sold the others to unnamed associates.
With Hardwick’s permission, federal agents searched Hardwick’s home and vehicle, which contained 40 boxes of purported Cialis.
Like the Viagra discovered at the airport, the affidavit said, the Cialis in his car also turned out to be fake.
On March 17, Hardwick was arrested in Detroit. He was arraigned and released on bond, on the condition that he not commit any additional criminal acts.
The next day, on May 18, a federal search warrant was authorized on a home in Livonia, which was listed in Hardwick’s name. There, agents found more counterfeit Viagra and Cialis pills, and fresh orders for more pills, indicating Hardwick, though on bond, was still running an illegal prescription drug operation, the affidavit said.
That triggered the second request for an arrest warrant.
Hardwick’s lawyer, Paul Curtis, was unavailable for comment.
Bodybuilding promoter gets probation in Operation Road Runner steroids case.
A promoter for local bodybuilding competitions has become the latest person to receive probation for his role in a steroid ring.
Craig Johnson, 39, pleaded guilty Thursday to a misdemeanor conspiracy to possess a controlled substance charge and was placed on six months' probation by Lehigh County Judge Robert L. Steinberg.
Johnson was also fined $250.
Johnson was charged through a two-phase investigation dubbed Operation Road Runner that led to 10 arrests in November 2009 and six in August.
The second phase of the probe netted smaller alleged steroid dealers than the first, resulting in lighter sentences, according to Nils Frederiksen, a spokesman for the state attorney general's office.
Everyone busted in the second phase, including former Northampton County Prison guard Brian Potance of Bethlehem, received probation. Johnson, a promoter for Lehigh Valley NPC who at one time was in charge of the bodybuilding competition at SportsFest, was the last one to enter a plea, so the entire case is now closed.
Johnson 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.
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 Nazareth, 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 Potance, who said he bought them online.
Potance pleaded guilty in April to two counts of illegal drug possession. He was fined $1,000 and placed on probation for two years.
Moyzan, 38, pleaded guilty in December to two counts of possession with intent to deliver steroids and a conspiracy charge and was fined $1,000 and placed on two years' probation.
The following people pleaded guilty in January to delivery charges and were fined $500 and placed on two years' probation: Brian Chamberlain, 36, of Chester County; Frank Peters, 34, of Montgomery County; and Angela Girondo, 50, also of Montgomery County.
Craig Johnson, 39, pleaded guilty Thursday to a misdemeanor conspiracy to possess a controlled substance charge and was placed on six months' probation by Lehigh County Judge Robert L. Steinberg.
Johnson was also fined $250.
Johnson was charged through a two-phase investigation dubbed Operation Road Runner that led to 10 arrests in November 2009 and six in August.
The second phase of the probe netted smaller alleged steroid dealers than the first, resulting in lighter sentences, according to Nils Frederiksen, a spokesman for the state attorney general's office.
Everyone busted in the second phase, including former Northampton County Prison guard Brian Potance of Bethlehem, received probation. Johnson, a promoter for Lehigh Valley NPC who at one time was in charge of the bodybuilding competition at SportsFest, was the last one to enter a plea, so the entire case is now closed.
Johnson 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.
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 Nazareth, 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 Potance, who said he bought them online.
Potance pleaded guilty in April to two counts of illegal drug possession. He was fined $1,000 and placed on probation for two years.
Moyzan, 38, pleaded guilty in December to two counts of possession with intent to deliver steroids and a conspiracy charge and was fined $1,000 and placed on two years' probation.
The following people pleaded guilty in January to delivery charges and were fined $500 and placed on two years' probation: Brian Chamberlain, 36, of Chester County; Frank Peters, 34, of Montgomery County; and Angela Girondo, 50, also of Montgomery County.
Students at South Africa's top schools not smart enough to beat urine tests or hide their steroids.
This follows tests conducted on pupils at 18 of the country's top schools in which 21 out of 130 pupils - or roughly one in six - tested positive for a variety of illegal steroids .
One school has now set aside R100000 for more tests while a doctor said he was treating at least 12 schoolboys a month to wean them off steroids.
In a recent newsletter, Michaelhouse principal Guy Pearson told parents of concerns about "the size of schoolboys who we tend to come up against in our fixtures and festivals".
Commissioned independently by various schools, Johannesburg company Drug Detection International sent urine samples for analysis to a forensic laboratory in the US.
They found positive results for:
Two pupils of St Albans, Pretoria;
Three pupils of King Edward VII in Johannesburg; and
Found that one boy from St John's in Johannesburg had twice the amount of testosterone levels for a teenager his age.
Fifteen of the other pupils who tested positive were from four private schools in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.
At least 12 of these pupils were caught with banned steroids in their possession.
The company declined to disclose the names of the other schools at which pupils tested positive for steroids.
Dr Jon Patricios, sports physician and president of the SA Sports Medicine Association, said there was "massive abuse" of steroids among pupils.
"There's a big emphasis on making it into the Craven Week sides. If you don't make it into Craven Week, you are really lost in the rugby wilderness, because there are no prospects of bursaries and selection for provincial teams."
He said parents were increasingly complaining of finding steroids in their sons' possession, adding: "Some say they can't believe the sudden changes in the size (of their sons)."
He said he was seeing at least a dozen parents a month on steroid-related issues involving their children.
"A pupil told me that half of the first-team rugby squad at his school were on steroids."
Testosterone - an anabolic steroid which produces increased levels of strength, endurance and muscular development - can cause cardiovascular disease.
The side effects of steroids include high blood pressure, heart enlargement, high cholesterol, liver and kidney damage, infertility and acne, while the psychological effects include aggression and depression.
Other schools involved in the initial round of tests and where boys tested negative included St David's Marist Inanda in Johannesburg and Pretoria Boys' High, where 10 players in the school's first rugby teams were tested. The school has 1550 pupils and 28 rugby teams.
St Albans have also slapped boys who test positive with "community service" whereby they serve as linesmen in some cases.
Principal Tom Hamilton said: "What we have discovered ... was that it was not about gaining an advantage or cheating. It was all about boys wanting to have big bodies and to look good when they put their shirts on."
Schools are charged R1500 to have a single pupil tested. In cases where pupils test positive, their parents will have to cough up for follow-up tests.
St Albans has set aside R100000 for drug testing over the next three years.
Drug Detection International said that pupils of other top schools in the country, including St Stithians, Kearsney and Hilton College, as well as Jeppe Boys' High, St Benedicts and Clifton Boys High, will be tested over the next two months.
Owner Riaan de Vries said at least 60% of those who tested positive were sportsmen, while the other 40% wanted to improve their image.
The SA Institute for Drug-Free Sport, which conducts anti-doping sessions at schools around the country, said it would, for the first time, be conducting tests for steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs at schools.
From next year, schools in KwaZulu-Natal which are planning to become accredited to the Discovery SharkSmart Schools of Excellence programme, to which Hilton College and Michaelhouse are affiliated, will have to consent to pupils being tested for steroids.
"The unfortunate thing with all of this is that we test rugby players and oarsmen, but a lot of the boys on these steroids were not sportsmen. It's a vanity thing."
Bobby Soobrayan, Director-General of the Department of Basic Education, said the department had not noted steroid use as a serious problem.
Grant Nupen, principal of Bishops in Cape Town, said his school conducted random drug tests for recreational drugs, but not steroids.
Johan Volsteedt, principal of Grey College in Bloemfontein, said they were finalising a policy on testing for steroids.
One school has now set aside R100000 for more tests while a doctor said he was treating at least 12 schoolboys a month to wean them off steroids.
In a recent newsletter, Michaelhouse principal Guy Pearson told parents of concerns about "the size of schoolboys who we tend to come up against in our fixtures and festivals".
Commissioned independently by various schools, Johannesburg company Drug Detection International sent urine samples for analysis to a forensic laboratory in the US.
They found positive results for:
Two pupils of St Albans, Pretoria;
Three pupils of King Edward VII in Johannesburg; and
Found that one boy from St John's in Johannesburg had twice the amount of testosterone levels for a teenager his age.
Fifteen of the other pupils who tested positive were from four private schools in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.
At least 12 of these pupils were caught with banned steroids in their possession.
The company declined to disclose the names of the other schools at which pupils tested positive for steroids.
Dr Jon Patricios, sports physician and president of the SA Sports Medicine Association, said there was "massive abuse" of steroids among pupils.
"There's a big emphasis on making it into the Craven Week sides. If you don't make it into Craven Week, you are really lost in the rugby wilderness, because there are no prospects of bursaries and selection for provincial teams."
He said parents were increasingly complaining of finding steroids in their sons' possession, adding: "Some say they can't believe the sudden changes in the size (of their sons)."
He said he was seeing at least a dozen parents a month on steroid-related issues involving their children.
"A pupil told me that half of the first-team rugby squad at his school were on steroids."
Testosterone - an anabolic steroid which produces increased levels of strength, endurance and muscular development - can cause cardiovascular disease.
The side effects of steroids include high blood pressure, heart enlargement, high cholesterol, liver and kidney damage, infertility and acne, while the psychological effects include aggression and depression.
Other schools involved in the initial round of tests and where boys tested negative included St David's Marist Inanda in Johannesburg and Pretoria Boys' High, where 10 players in the school's first rugby teams were tested. The school has 1550 pupils and 28 rugby teams.
St Albans have also slapped boys who test positive with "community service" whereby they serve as linesmen in some cases.
Principal Tom Hamilton said: "What we have discovered ... was that it was not about gaining an advantage or cheating. It was all about boys wanting to have big bodies and to look good when they put their shirts on."
Schools are charged R1500 to have a single pupil tested. In cases where pupils test positive, their parents will have to cough up for follow-up tests.
St Albans has set aside R100000 for drug testing over the next three years.
Drug Detection International said that pupils of other top schools in the country, including St Stithians, Kearsney and Hilton College, as well as Jeppe Boys' High, St Benedicts and Clifton Boys High, will be tested over the next two months.
Owner Riaan de Vries said at least 60% of those who tested positive were sportsmen, while the other 40% wanted to improve their image.
The SA Institute for Drug-Free Sport, which conducts anti-doping sessions at schools around the country, said it would, for the first time, be conducting tests for steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs at schools.
From next year, schools in KwaZulu-Natal which are planning to become accredited to the Discovery SharkSmart Schools of Excellence programme, to which Hilton College and Michaelhouse are affiliated, will have to consent to pupils being tested for steroids.
"The unfortunate thing with all of this is that we test rugby players and oarsmen, but a lot of the boys on these steroids were not sportsmen. It's a vanity thing."
Bobby Soobrayan, Director-General of the Department of Basic Education, said the department had not noted steroid use as a serious problem.
Grant Nupen, principal of Bishops in Cape Town, said his school conducted random drug tests for recreational drugs, but not steroids.
Johan Volsteedt, principal of Grey College in Bloemfontein, said they were finalising a policy on testing for steroids.
British prison cookery teacher jailed for trying to smuggle steroids to inmates.
An Italian restaurant boss has been jailed for smuggling steroids into a prison for inmates after trying to persuade guards they were "Love Heart" sweets.
Vito Alongi was working part-time at Addiewell Prison teaching inmates to cook when he was caught with nearly 350 tablets in his trousers during a search.
The 52-year-old, who runs the Jolly restaurant in Leith's Elm Row, claimed the tablets were harmless sweets, but chemical tests later confirmed they were Class C drugs.
His father, Victor Alongi, today said his son had been blackmailed into the botched smuggling plot by prisoners who threatened his family.
The pensioner said his family were "devastated" following the eight-month sentence handed down to his son at Livingston Sheriff Court, but said they "support him 100 per cent".
Alongi was caught as he tried to enter the West Lothian jail on August 15 after telling staff he wanted to go to his car to get some sweets. Guards were suspicious when Alongi returned looking nervous and wearing two pairs of trousers with an object concealed inside them.
A prison officer carrying out a pat-down search recovered a package containing 226 pink tablets and 120 other tablets, which Alongi claimed were "Love Hearts".
Alongi's 73-year-old father said: "Vito was put in this situation by an anonymous person who posted a package to him at the restaurant. He was told to take them into prison or his family would be harmed. Because Vito is a family man, he acted to defend his family.
"The only mistake Vito made was not telling us what was happening and seeking our advice. He was kind and trusting, but he was under pressure and made the wrong choice.
"Vito was teaching the prisoners to cook in a proper way. He had been doing it for about two years because he liked to help people. Vito is a generous person and they may have seen that and thought they could take advantage of him."
Mr Alongi said his son had been moved from Saughton Prison to HMP Dumfries to serve his sentence, and he planned to visit him tomorrow.
He added: "These drugs had very little value so he was not acting to make a profit.
"The family are very upset and devastated about what has happened. Vito himself is very, very devastated. We support him 100 per cent and we all love him and believe him."
Alongi admitted to possessing three types of Class C drugs worth a total of £75 - methandrostenolone, oxymetholone and methyltestosterone - with intent to supply.
Depute fiscal Graham Fraser, prosecuting, told the court last Thursday that first offender Alongi, of Elm Row, received the package through the post and knew it was "something dodgy".
Mr Fraser added: "He did not know what to do and kept the tablets.
He was told to take the tablets into the prison changing area and put them into one of two buckets used for dirty clothing.
"He said the reason he did not take the tablets to the authorities was because he was concerned about the repercussions.
"He appears to have got himself into an impossible position and taken the wrong approach."
Jailing Alongi, Sheriff Douglas Kinloch said: "Whatever your motivation was you made a huge mistake in deciding to smuggle drugs into prison.
"You have never been before the court before and these steroids were of low value and you have produced many moving character references.
"Nevertheless, prison officers are placed in a position of immense trust."
Second article.
A cook at Addiewell prison has been jailed for smuggling in steroid tablets.
Vito Alongi tried to tell prison officers that the tablets, worth around £75, were Love Heart sweets when they became suspicious and searched him.
First offender Alongi (52) was jailed for eight months when he appeared at Livingston Sheriff Court last Thursday.
He had earlier admitted to possessing three types of class C drugs – Methandrostenolone, Oxymetholone and methyltestosterone – with intent to supply.
The court heard that Alongi, who runs the Jolly Pizzeria on Leith Walk in Edinburgh, had been working in the prison kitchens for around two years teaching inmates how to cook.
Depute Fiscal Graham Fraser said prison staff are routinely checked for drugs and other items before they come into the prison and on August 15 Alongi went out to his car, saying he wanted to get sweets.
Mr Fraser told the court: “His actions did raise some concern and he was searched by prison officers.
“He appeared nervous and was wearing two pairs of trousers and it was noted there was an object inside his trousers.
“As the prison officer ran his hands down the trouser legs the accused said it was just sweets, but when pulled out the package contained 226 pink tablets and 120 other tablets.
“He said they were just Love Heart sweets or something of that type, but a chemical scan carried out indicated they might contain a controlled drug.
“Police were notified and the accused was detained and the tablets were sent for analysis.
“He said he had been approached to take them into the prison and he initially refused but they approached him and again and said ‘we mean business’.
Mr Fraser said Alongi, of Elm Row in Edinburgh, found a parcel that had been posted through the letterbox at his restaurant the next day and he knew it contained “something dodgy”.
“He did not know what to do and kept the tablets,” Mr Fraser continued. “He was told to take the tablets into the prison changing area and put them into one of two buckets used for dirty clothing.
“He said the reason he did not take the tablets to the authorities was because he was concerned about the repercussions.
“He appears to have got himself into an impossible position and taken the wrong approach.”
Alongi’s solicitor said his client often helped vulnerable people in his community by giving them work or a place to stay.
Recently he had taken a young man under his wing who had fallen on hard times and when he had been stabbed, Alongi became paranoid and thought those who had asked him to smuggle the drugs were to blame.
“He clearly has skills as a chef having worked in a restaurant and though he could use these skills within the prison system to help people less fortunate then himself,” he said.
The solicitor also said a local police officer who was friends with Alongi had tried to discourage him from taking the job as he feared inmates would take advantage of him.
“Unfortunately this seems to be what has happened in this case,” he added. “He panicked and foolishly committed the offence.
“He realises he should have gone to the authorities and clearly regrets his actions.”
Jailing Alongi, Sheriff Douglas Kinloch said: “Whatever your motivation was you made a huge mistake in deciding to smuggle drugs into prison.
“The public are quite right to be concerned about drugs being available in prison as that brings all sorts of problems.
“It has been made clear in this court that anyone who smuggles drugs into prison faces a custodial sentence.
“You have never been before the court before and these steroids were of low value and you have produced many moving character references.
“Nevertheless prison officers are placed in a position of immense trust.
“I have considered all that has been said on your behalf and I have come to the conclusion that any prison officer that smuggles drugs can usually only expect one sentence and that is one of imprisonment.”
Vito Alongi was working part-time at Addiewell Prison teaching inmates to cook when he was caught with nearly 350 tablets in his trousers during a search.
The 52-year-old, who runs the Jolly restaurant in Leith's Elm Row, claimed the tablets were harmless sweets, but chemical tests later confirmed they were Class C drugs.
His father, Victor Alongi, today said his son had been blackmailed into the botched smuggling plot by prisoners who threatened his family.
The pensioner said his family were "devastated" following the eight-month sentence handed down to his son at Livingston Sheriff Court, but said they "support him 100 per cent".
Alongi was caught as he tried to enter the West Lothian jail on August 15 after telling staff he wanted to go to his car to get some sweets. Guards were suspicious when Alongi returned looking nervous and wearing two pairs of trousers with an object concealed inside them.
A prison officer carrying out a pat-down search recovered a package containing 226 pink tablets and 120 other tablets, which Alongi claimed were "Love Hearts".
Alongi's 73-year-old father said: "Vito was put in this situation by an anonymous person who posted a package to him at the restaurant. He was told to take them into prison or his family would be harmed. Because Vito is a family man, he acted to defend his family.
"The only mistake Vito made was not telling us what was happening and seeking our advice. He was kind and trusting, but he was under pressure and made the wrong choice.
"Vito was teaching the prisoners to cook in a proper way. He had been doing it for about two years because he liked to help people. Vito is a generous person and they may have seen that and thought they could take advantage of him."
Mr Alongi said his son had been moved from Saughton Prison to HMP Dumfries to serve his sentence, and he planned to visit him tomorrow.
He added: "These drugs had very little value so he was not acting to make a profit.
"The family are very upset and devastated about what has happened. Vito himself is very, very devastated. We support him 100 per cent and we all love him and believe him."
Alongi admitted to possessing three types of Class C drugs worth a total of £75 - methandrostenolone, oxymetholone and methyltestosterone - with intent to supply.
Depute fiscal Graham Fraser, prosecuting, told the court last Thursday that first offender Alongi, of Elm Row, received the package through the post and knew it was "something dodgy".
Mr Fraser added: "He did not know what to do and kept the tablets.
He was told to take the tablets into the prison changing area and put them into one of two buckets used for dirty clothing.
"He said the reason he did not take the tablets to the authorities was because he was concerned about the repercussions.
"He appears to have got himself into an impossible position and taken the wrong approach."
Jailing Alongi, Sheriff Douglas Kinloch said: "Whatever your motivation was you made a huge mistake in deciding to smuggle drugs into prison.
"You have never been before the court before and these steroids were of low value and you have produced many moving character references.
"Nevertheless, prison officers are placed in a position of immense trust."
Second article.
A cook at Addiewell prison has been jailed for smuggling in steroid tablets.
Vito Alongi tried to tell prison officers that the tablets, worth around £75, were Love Heart sweets when they became suspicious and searched him.
First offender Alongi (52) was jailed for eight months when he appeared at Livingston Sheriff Court last Thursday.
He had earlier admitted to possessing three types of class C drugs – Methandrostenolone, Oxymetholone and methyltestosterone – with intent to supply.
The court heard that Alongi, who runs the Jolly Pizzeria on Leith Walk in Edinburgh, had been working in the prison kitchens for around two years teaching inmates how to cook.
Depute Fiscal Graham Fraser said prison staff are routinely checked for drugs and other items before they come into the prison and on August 15 Alongi went out to his car, saying he wanted to get sweets.
Mr Fraser told the court: “His actions did raise some concern and he was searched by prison officers.
“He appeared nervous and was wearing two pairs of trousers and it was noted there was an object inside his trousers.
“As the prison officer ran his hands down the trouser legs the accused said it was just sweets, but when pulled out the package contained 226 pink tablets and 120 other tablets.
“He said they were just Love Heart sweets or something of that type, but a chemical scan carried out indicated they might contain a controlled drug.
“Police were notified and the accused was detained and the tablets were sent for analysis.
“He said he had been approached to take them into the prison and he initially refused but they approached him and again and said ‘we mean business’.
Mr Fraser said Alongi, of Elm Row in Edinburgh, found a parcel that had been posted through the letterbox at his restaurant the next day and he knew it contained “something dodgy”.
“He did not know what to do and kept the tablets,” Mr Fraser continued. “He was told to take the tablets into the prison changing area and put them into one of two buckets used for dirty clothing.
“He said the reason he did not take the tablets to the authorities was because he was concerned about the repercussions.
“He appears to have got himself into an impossible position and taken the wrong approach.”
Alongi’s solicitor said his client often helped vulnerable people in his community by giving them work or a place to stay.
Recently he had taken a young man under his wing who had fallen on hard times and when he had been stabbed, Alongi became paranoid and thought those who had asked him to smuggle the drugs were to blame.
“He clearly has skills as a chef having worked in a restaurant and though he could use these skills within the prison system to help people less fortunate then himself,” he said.
The solicitor also said a local police officer who was friends with Alongi had tried to discourage him from taking the job as he feared inmates would take advantage of him.
“Unfortunately this seems to be what has happened in this case,” he added. “He panicked and foolishly committed the offence.
“He realises he should have gone to the authorities and clearly regrets his actions.”
Jailing Alongi, Sheriff Douglas Kinloch said: “Whatever your motivation was you made a huge mistake in deciding to smuggle drugs into prison.
“The public are quite right to be concerned about drugs being available in prison as that brings all sorts of problems.
“It has been made clear in this court that anyone who smuggles drugs into prison faces a custodial sentence.
“You have never been before the court before and these steroids were of low value and you have produced many moving character references.
“Nevertheless prison officers are placed in a position of immense trust.
“I have considered all that has been said on your behalf and I have come to the conclusion that any prison officer that smuggles drugs can usually only expect one sentence and that is one of imprisonment.”
Lucky Australian convinces judge that 1kg of steroid powder and a tablet press were for his personal use :-)
A former security officer from Albury has been fined more than $4,000 for importing nearly a kilogram of steroids.
Jeremy Zentveld-Smith, 27, of Albury, pleaded guilty to 12 charges relating to the importation of about 970 grams of steroids and a pill press.
The prosecution referred to the quantity imported as a significant amount.
Magistrate Gordon Lerve said Zentfeld-Smith made amateur attempts to disguise the illegal imports which were ordered over the internet.
The magistrate said he could not prove beyond reasonable doubt that Zentveld-Smith was importing the drugs for anything other than personal use and imposed a $4,250 fine.
Powerlifter Jeremy Zentveld-Smith was an Australian champion who broke national records, but his feats were achieved through steroid use.
Solicitor Mark Cronin said yesterday there are two powerlifting organisations in Australia with one having stringent testing for steroids and the other no testing.
Mr Cronin told magistrate Gordon Lerve in Albury Local Court it was not hard to work out with which one Zentveld-Smith had affiliation.
It was suggested by Mr Cronin that Zentveld-Smith was playing “Russian roulette” with his physical future considering the impact of steroids.
“He has now withdrawn from powerlifting competitions. It took some time for the penny to drop,” Mr Cronin said.
Zentveld-Smith’s steroid use began four years ago and came to light through his importation of them which was picked up by customs leading to a raid on his North Albury home.
Customs officers also found a pill press which had been imported through a Sydney airport.
Zentveld-Smith, 27, appeared yesterday for sentence on 12 charges with Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions representative Estelle Steinbach saying she was not seeking a jail sentence.
Mr Lerve said Judicial Commission statistics showed eight previous matters have been dealt with in NSW courts and no one has gone to jail.
Zentveld-Smith was put on $1000 two-year bonds on nine charges and fined a total of $4250.
Mr Lerve said convictions were inevitable and it was unlikely Zentveld-Smith would be able to work in the security industry in the future.
Mr Cronin said the steroids and pill press were obtained through the internet.
“It’s as simple as that,” Mr Cronin said.
“There was no sophistication at all. He mailed them to himself.”
The pill press came fully assembled and Zentveld-Smith and another man had intended marketing supplements in the power- lifting industry.
“They never got to square one because they never got the press,” Mr Cronin said.
He said it was likely Zentveld-Smith would have trouble with future employment.
He had been employed as a security officer on a casual basis although at present receives Centrelink benefits.
Mr Cronin said Zentveld-Smith’s future in security could face some obstacles from the security licensing authority and the Defence Department where work was available.
Jeremy Zentveld-Smith, 27, of Albury, pleaded guilty to 12 charges relating to the importation of about 970 grams of steroids and a pill press.
The prosecution referred to the quantity imported as a significant amount.
Magistrate Gordon Lerve said Zentfeld-Smith made amateur attempts to disguise the illegal imports which were ordered over the internet.
The magistrate said he could not prove beyond reasonable doubt that Zentveld-Smith was importing the drugs for anything other than personal use and imposed a $4,250 fine.
Powerlifter Jeremy Zentveld-Smith was an Australian champion who broke national records, but his feats were achieved through steroid use.
Solicitor Mark Cronin said yesterday there are two powerlifting organisations in Australia with one having stringent testing for steroids and the other no testing.
Mr Cronin told magistrate Gordon Lerve in Albury Local Court it was not hard to work out with which one Zentveld-Smith had affiliation.
It was suggested by Mr Cronin that Zentveld-Smith was playing “Russian roulette” with his physical future considering the impact of steroids.
“He has now withdrawn from powerlifting competitions. It took some time for the penny to drop,” Mr Cronin said.
Zentveld-Smith’s steroid use began four years ago and came to light through his importation of them which was picked up by customs leading to a raid on his North Albury home.
Customs officers also found a pill press which had been imported through a Sydney airport.
Zentveld-Smith, 27, appeared yesterday for sentence on 12 charges with Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions representative Estelle Steinbach saying she was not seeking a jail sentence.
Mr Lerve said Judicial Commission statistics showed eight previous matters have been dealt with in NSW courts and no one has gone to jail.
Zentveld-Smith was put on $1000 two-year bonds on nine charges and fined a total of $4250.
Mr Lerve said convictions were inevitable and it was unlikely Zentveld-Smith would be able to work in the security industry in the future.
Mr Cronin said the steroids and pill press were obtained through the internet.
“It’s as simple as that,” Mr Cronin said.
“There was no sophistication at all. He mailed them to himself.”
The pill press came fully assembled and Zentveld-Smith and another man had intended marketing supplements in the power- lifting industry.
“They never got to square one because they never got the press,” Mr Cronin said.
He said it was likely Zentveld-Smith would have trouble with future employment.
He had been employed as a security officer on a casual basis although at present receives Centrelink benefits.
Mr Cronin said Zentveld-Smith’s future in security could face some obstacles from the security licensing authority and the Defence Department where work was available.
WADA funded study finds athletes lie on anoymous doping surveys.
Athletes who have taken banned drugs but deny having done so are likely to manipulate their answers on questionnaires to make themselves fit the image of someone who is 'clean' and strongly anti-doping, according to new research by a Kingston University academic.
The study was funded by the World Anti-Doping Agency and carried out by a team headed by Professor Andrea Petroczi from the University's School of Life Sciences. Professor Petroczi surveyed 82 athletes, on an anonymous basis, and competing at various levels. She found patterns in the answers of those who denied using any prohibited performance-enhancing drugs which indicated they were deliberately trying to cover their tracks. "This has major implications for research where the aim is to establish the reasons why athletes take illegal drugs since the vast majority of such studies are based purely on questionnaires," Professor Petroczi explained.
The athletes' self-declared 'clean' status on the questionnaire was checked using hair analysis those taking part were asked to provide a hair sample which was tested for commonly used anabolic steroids, erythropoietin (commonly known as EPO) and major recreational drugs. "Having the opportunity to combine social science techniques with analytical chemistry in this way was a real advantage and it's an approach we will definitely be using again," Professor Petroczi added.
"The really interesting group included those people who denied using any drugs but then tested positive," she said. "This group appeared to have manipulated every aspect of the questionnaire they filled in to fit the typical profile of what they thought would be a non-user." The athletes were asked questions about their attitudes towards doping, such as how much pressure they felt to take performance-enhancing drugs. Professor Petroczi's team found distinct patterns in responses suggesting that they had faked their answers in accordance with how they believed someone who was 'clean' would have replied.
The athletes were also asked to complete a brief computerised word-sorting task using a concept known as the Implicit Association Test (IAT). This was designed to look like a game but was actually used to work out the athlete's attitude to banned substances. Participants were asked to sort a mix of doping-related words, vitamins and foodstuffs, and words representing 'good' and 'bad' into categories as quickly and accurately as possible. Professor Petroczi said this test was much more difficult for athletes to cheat and the difference in how quickly people could complete the various combinations required by this task was revealing in terms of how uppermost these concepts were in their minds.
"Large-scale doping behaviour research needs to change because the clear message is that you cannot trust what individuals say about themselves on questionnaires just because it's anonymous doesn't mean people will be honest," Professor Petroczi said. "People may be deliberately lying or even unwilling to admit things to themselves. This whole field would benefit greatly from using different research methods for instance by using such indirect approaches as the IAT computerised test which use alternative measures that go beyond questionnaires completed by individuals."
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) provided more than £25,000 towards the study. "WADA welcomes research that helps in the fight against doping in sport. We expand our knowledge-base from a wide variety of sources, and research like this is extremely useful," WADA's Director of Education and Program Development, Rob Koehler said.
The study was funded by the World Anti-Doping Agency and carried out by a team headed by Professor Andrea Petroczi from the University's School of Life Sciences. Professor Petroczi surveyed 82 athletes, on an anonymous basis, and competing at various levels. She found patterns in the answers of those who denied using any prohibited performance-enhancing drugs which indicated they were deliberately trying to cover their tracks. "This has major implications for research where the aim is to establish the reasons why athletes take illegal drugs since the vast majority of such studies are based purely on questionnaires," Professor Petroczi explained.
The athletes' self-declared 'clean' status on the questionnaire was checked using hair analysis those taking part were asked to provide a hair sample which was tested for commonly used anabolic steroids, erythropoietin (commonly known as EPO) and major recreational drugs. "Having the opportunity to combine social science techniques with analytical chemistry in this way was a real advantage and it's an approach we will definitely be using again," Professor Petroczi added.
"The really interesting group included those people who denied using any drugs but then tested positive," she said. "This group appeared to have manipulated every aspect of the questionnaire they filled in to fit the typical profile of what they thought would be a non-user." The athletes were asked questions about their attitudes towards doping, such as how much pressure they felt to take performance-enhancing drugs. Professor Petroczi's team found distinct patterns in responses suggesting that they had faked their answers in accordance with how they believed someone who was 'clean' would have replied.
The athletes were also asked to complete a brief computerised word-sorting task using a concept known as the Implicit Association Test (IAT). This was designed to look like a game but was actually used to work out the athlete's attitude to banned substances. Participants were asked to sort a mix of doping-related words, vitamins and foodstuffs, and words representing 'good' and 'bad' into categories as quickly and accurately as possible. Professor Petroczi said this test was much more difficult for athletes to cheat and the difference in how quickly people could complete the various combinations required by this task was revealing in terms of how uppermost these concepts were in their minds.
"Large-scale doping behaviour research needs to change because the clear message is that you cannot trust what individuals say about themselves on questionnaires just because it's anonymous doesn't mean people will be honest," Professor Petroczi said. "People may be deliberately lying or even unwilling to admit things to themselves. This whole field would benefit greatly from using different research methods for instance by using such indirect approaches as the IAT computerised test which use alternative measures that go beyond questionnaires completed by individuals."
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) provided more than £25,000 towards the study. "WADA welcomes research that helps in the fight against doping in sport. We expand our knowledge-base from a wide variety of sources, and research like this is extremely useful," WADA's Director of Education and Program Development, Rob Koehler said.
Sri Lankan weightlifter tests positive for methylhexaneamine.
Another Sri Lankan Commonwealth Games gold medallist is embroiled in a damaging drugs scandal after weightlifer Chinthana Vidanage, who carried the country's flag in New Delhi last year, tested positive for a banned stimulant and is facing a suspension.
Vidanage, who won gold at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne and silver in the 69 kg category in Delhi, returned a positive drug test for methylhexaneamine at the Asian Championships in China's Anhui province last month, it has been reported.
He has been provisionally suspended by the International Weightlifting Federation.
The 29-year-old was among four of Sri Lanka's leading competitors who last month were unveiled by officials bidding for Hambantota to host the 2018 Commonwealth Games as part of an Athletes Commission to help provide advice during the campaign.
Vidanage, who won gold at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne and silver in the 69 kg category in Delhi, returned a positive drug test for methylhexaneamine at the Asian Championships in China's Anhui province last month, it has been reported.
He has been provisionally suspended by the International Weightlifting Federation.
The 29-year-old was among four of Sri Lanka's leading competitors who last month were unveiled by officials bidding for Hambantota to host the 2018 Commonwealth Games as part of an Athletes Commission to help provide advice during the campaign.
Study on new doping agents available online.
Identifying the use of non-approved drugs by cheating athletes has been a great challenge for doping control laboratories. This is due to the additional complexities associated with identifying relatively unknown and uncharacterized compounds and their metabolites as opposed to known and well-studied therapeutics.
In 2010, the prohibited drug candidates and gene doping substances AICAR and GW1516, together with the selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) MK-2866 were obtained by the Cologne Doping Control Laboratory from Internet suppliers and their structure, quantity, and formulation elucidated. All three compounds proved authentic as determined by liquid chromatography-high resolution/high accuracy (tandem) mass spectrometry and comparison to reference material.
While AICAR was provided as a colourless powder in 100 mg aliquots, GW1516 was obtained as an orange/yellow suspension in water/glycerol (150 mg/ml), and MK-2866 (25 mg/ml) was shipped dissolved in polyethylene glycol (PEG) 300. In all cases, the quantified amounts were considerably lower than indicated on the label. The substances were delivered via courier, with packaging identifying them as containing 'amino acids' and 'green tea extract', arguably to circumvent customs control.
Although all of the substances were declared 'for research only', their potential misuse in illicit performance-enhancement cannot be excluded; moreover sports drug testing authorities should be aware of the facile availability of black market copies of these drug candidates.
In 2010, the prohibited drug candidates and gene doping substances AICAR and GW1516, together with the selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) MK-2866 were obtained by the Cologne Doping Control Laboratory from Internet suppliers and their structure, quantity, and formulation elucidated. All three compounds proved authentic as determined by liquid chromatography-high resolution/high accuracy (tandem) mass spectrometry and comparison to reference material.
While AICAR was provided as a colourless powder in 100 mg aliquots, GW1516 was obtained as an orange/yellow suspension in water/glycerol (150 mg/ml), and MK-2866 (25 mg/ml) was shipped dissolved in polyethylene glycol (PEG) 300. In all cases, the quantified amounts were considerably lower than indicated on the label. The substances were delivered via courier, with packaging identifying them as containing 'amino acids' and 'green tea extract', arguably to circumvent customs control.
Although all of the substances were declared 'for research only', their potential misuse in illicit performance-enhancement cannot be excluded; moreover sports drug testing authorities should be aware of the facile availability of black market copies of these drug candidates.
Domestic source of Chinese steroids busted.
Waynesboro police say they've shut down a steroid ring operating throughout Augusta County.
Police nabbed three men they say distributed the illegal drugs on multiple occasions in the city.
Forty-seven-year-old Troy Cox, 21-year-old Matthew McClamorch and 29-year-old Richard Stokes are charged with distribution of steroids, which is a felony.
Police say some of the illegal steroids were purchased online from a manufacturer in China, which can add to the danger because it only takes one bad batch to send someone to the hospital instead of the weight room.
Police have notified the post office about the Chinese manufacturer and believe that red flag will help them catch any other online orders.
Sgt. Kelly Walker says he thinks there are more distributors in the area.
"Steroids is a growing problem, not just in professional athletes or in bigger cities," says Walker.
At Powerhouse Gym, personal trainer and nutritionist Lindsay Williams says there is some pressure among body builders to get ripped quick.
"It always is, unfortunately, and I think a lot of people join the gym and think it's going to be much easier than it is to build muscle," says Williams.
However, she says not only is juicing illegal, it's unsafe and does long-term damage to your body.
She says, though it may take longer, consistently putting in the reps on the bench is the only way to safely bulk up.
"It's very well worth it in the end when you do it the right way," says Williams.
Police nabbed three men they say distributed the illegal drugs on multiple occasions in the city.
Forty-seven-year-old Troy Cox, 21-year-old Matthew McClamorch and 29-year-old Richard Stokes are charged with distribution of steroids, which is a felony.
Police say some of the illegal steroids were purchased online from a manufacturer in China, which can add to the danger because it only takes one bad batch to send someone to the hospital instead of the weight room.
Police have notified the post office about the Chinese manufacturer and believe that red flag will help them catch any other online orders.
Sgt. Kelly Walker says he thinks there are more distributors in the area.
"Steroids is a growing problem, not just in professional athletes or in bigger cities," says Walker.
At Powerhouse Gym, personal trainer and nutritionist Lindsay Williams says there is some pressure among body builders to get ripped quick.
"It always is, unfortunately, and I think a lot of people join the gym and think it's going to be much easier than it is to build muscle," says Williams.
However, she says not only is juicing illegal, it's unsafe and does long-term damage to your body.
She says, though it may take longer, consistently putting in the reps on the bench is the only way to safely bulk up.
"It's very well worth it in the end when you do it the right way," says Williams.
Musclebear and associate both from Ukraine to be extradited to the US.
Federal prosecutors landed two guilty pleas Tuesday in what was characterized in court as a multi-agency effort to take down "a large international conspiracy" to peddle anabolic steroids and other illegal muscle-building drugs.
Pleading guilty, and now facing September sentencings, were Paul G. Matthews, 51, of the Pittsburgh area, and Ronald J. Sales, 46, of the St. Louis area. Prosecutors would not provide more detailed information on their residences.
Mr. Matthews ran Matthews Training Concepts and was caught running a steroid manufacturing facility in his home.
Although there was no testimony at hearings Tuesday to any direct business links between Mr. Matthews and Mr. Sales, both were accused of conspiracy to distribute 40,000 units of steroids in Western Pennsylvania and elsewhere, and of paying for them by sending money to Ukraine and China.
At Mr. Matthews' guilty plea hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary McKeen Houghton said that he was doing business with two Ukrainian men, later identified as Oleksandr "Musclebear" Skochyk and Yeveniy Suray.
The two Ukrainians were indicted by a Pittsburgh-based federal grand jury a year ago for distributing illegal, Chinese-made steroids and synthetic testosterone. Arrest warrants were issued, and Ms. Houghton said the men are being extradited.
She said that if Mr. Matthews had not pleaded guilty, agents from the Drug Enforcement Agency, Food and Drug Administration, Internal Revenue Service, Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Postal Service, among others, would have testified at his trial.
She described how a confidential source tipped agents off to Mr. Matthews' steroid lab, leading to three undercover buys. Packages of steroids from China, addressed to him, were seized at Los Angeles International Airport. A Feb. 10, 2010, raid on Mr. Matthews' home revealed that he was buying raw steroid powder and manufacturing individual doses, which were sold illegally and without warning labels.
Investigators then got search warrants for participants' email accounts, and with help from Canadian law enforcement obtained hundreds of emails between the Ukrainians and their customers, Ms. Houghton said.
Downtown attorney William C. Kaczynski, representing Mr. Suray, declined comment. Mr. Skochyk has no attorney listed in court records.
Mr. Matthews and Mr. Sales could face as much as 20 years in prison, but their actual sentences are likely to be lighter because the prosecution has confirmed that they have accepted responsibility for their crimes. Mr. Sales has a prior drug conviction, which might lengthen his sentence.
Pleading guilty, and now facing September sentencings, were Paul G. Matthews, 51, of the Pittsburgh area, and Ronald J. Sales, 46, of the St. Louis area. Prosecutors would not provide more detailed information on their residences.
Mr. Matthews ran Matthews Training Concepts and was caught running a steroid manufacturing facility in his home.
Although there was no testimony at hearings Tuesday to any direct business links between Mr. Matthews and Mr. Sales, both were accused of conspiracy to distribute 40,000 units of steroids in Western Pennsylvania and elsewhere, and of paying for them by sending money to Ukraine and China.
At Mr. Matthews' guilty plea hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary McKeen Houghton said that he was doing business with two Ukrainian men, later identified as Oleksandr "Musclebear" Skochyk and Yeveniy Suray.
The two Ukrainians were indicted by a Pittsburgh-based federal grand jury a year ago for distributing illegal, Chinese-made steroids and synthetic testosterone. Arrest warrants were issued, and Ms. Houghton said the men are being extradited.
She said that if Mr. Matthews had not pleaded guilty, agents from the Drug Enforcement Agency, Food and Drug Administration, Internal Revenue Service, Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Postal Service, among others, would have testified at his trial.
She described how a confidential source tipped agents off to Mr. Matthews' steroid lab, leading to three undercover buys. Packages of steroids from China, addressed to him, were seized at Los Angeles International Airport. A Feb. 10, 2010, raid on Mr. Matthews' home revealed that he was buying raw steroid powder and manufacturing individual doses, which were sold illegally and without warning labels.
Investigators then got search warrants for participants' email accounts, and with help from Canadian law enforcement obtained hundreds of emails between the Ukrainians and their customers, Ms. Houghton said.
Downtown attorney William C. Kaczynski, representing Mr. Suray, declined comment. Mr. Skochyk has no attorney listed in court records.
Mr. Matthews and Mr. Sales could face as much as 20 years in prison, but their actual sentences are likely to be lighter because the prosecution has confirmed that they have accepted responsibility for their crimes. Mr. Sales has a prior drug conviction, which might lengthen his sentence.
Britons arrested as part of Spain's Operation Lady steroid crackdown.
Spanish police said the Britons, who have not been named but are all believed to be residents of Marbella, were “leading members” of the alleged network. Some of the illegal substances were reportedly imported into Glasgow before being packed and distributed to Europe via Manchester.
Among others arrested was the director general of a cycling club where, according to police, several former European and world champions were members. Local media reports said the club were based in the Madrid area and that the man was arrested on suspicion of receiving a “significant amount” of the red blood cell-boosting drug EPO.
Other drugs seized in 19 property searches across Spain included anabolic steroids and substances not intended for the sporting market, including hundreds of thousands of counterfeit Viagra tablets. It was these that are alleged to have been sent through Glasgow and Manchester.
The drugs haul was estimated to have a street value in excess of £3 million. Some substances were veterinary treatments and presented serious health risks if taken by humans.
Police said drugs were also imported from India and Turkey, which arrived in Spain through brokers and wholesalers in the UK, Germany and Hungary to avoid detection at Spanish ports.
The investigation is the latest crackdown by the Spanish police following their Operation Puerto in 2006 and Operation Greyhound last autumn, both of which led to the arrest of several high-profile Spanish sports stars. Their approach has highlighted the value of intelligence-led strategies to tackle doping in sport.
UK Anti-Doping has adopted a similar investigative approach with UK law enforcement agencies, though neither it nor the Serious Organised Crime Agency was involved in the Spanish operation.
Police described the ring as “the largest international organisation operating in Spain dedicated to drug trafficking, growth hormone and doping substances.”
The investigation, code-named Operation Lady, also uncovered a secret laboratory in the attic of a house in Elche, Alicante, where growth hormone bought in bulk from China was allegedly being manufactured to be sold on the internet.
Among others arrested was the director general of a cycling club where, according to police, several former European and world champions were members. Local media reports said the club were based in the Madrid area and that the man was arrested on suspicion of receiving a “significant amount” of the red blood cell-boosting drug EPO.
Other drugs seized in 19 property searches across Spain included anabolic steroids and substances not intended for the sporting market, including hundreds of thousands of counterfeit Viagra tablets. It was these that are alleged to have been sent through Glasgow and Manchester.
The drugs haul was estimated to have a street value in excess of £3 million. Some substances were veterinary treatments and presented serious health risks if taken by humans.
Police said drugs were also imported from India and Turkey, which arrived in Spain through brokers and wholesalers in the UK, Germany and Hungary to avoid detection at Spanish ports.
The investigation is the latest crackdown by the Spanish police following their Operation Puerto in 2006 and Operation Greyhound last autumn, both of which led to the arrest of several high-profile Spanish sports stars. Their approach has highlighted the value of intelligence-led strategies to tackle doping in sport.
UK Anti-Doping has adopted a similar investigative approach with UK law enforcement agencies, though neither it nor the Serious Organised Crime Agency was involved in the Spanish operation.
Police described the ring as “the largest international organisation operating in Spain dedicated to drug trafficking, growth hormone and doping substances.”
The investigation, code-named Operation Lady, also uncovered a secret laboratory in the attic of a house in Elche, Alicante, where growth hormone bought in bulk from China was allegedly being manufactured to be sold on the internet.
St. Louis steroid dealer pleads guilty.
A St. Louis-area man accused of selling steroids locally pleaded guilty, and could face a sentence of as long as 20 years in prison.
Charged last month, Ronald J. Sales, 46, confirmed today to U.S. District Judge Donetta W. Ambrose that he imported 40,000 units of anabolic steroids from Ukraine and China, and in 2009 and 2010 sold some of those units in Western Pennsylvania.
Because he has had a past drug conviction, the potential sentence is doubled from 10 years to 20, and the potential fine is doubled to $1 million. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary McKeen Houghton said the government will give him a reduction in the offense level for accepting responsibility for his actions.
Mr. Sales also agreed to give up to the government $21,843 he made from illegal activity.
Charged last month, Ronald J. Sales, 46, confirmed today to U.S. District Judge Donetta W. Ambrose that he imported 40,000 units of anabolic steroids from Ukraine and China, and in 2009 and 2010 sold some of those units in Western Pennsylvania.
Because he has had a past drug conviction, the potential sentence is doubled from 10 years to 20, and the potential fine is doubled to $1 million. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary McKeen Houghton said the government will give him a reduction in the offense level for accepting responsibility for his actions.
Mr. Sales also agreed to give up to the government $21,843 he made from illegal activity.
Crackdown on CraigsList classified ads drug dealers.
Craigslist users post some 50 million classified ads every month. Among them are ads for pharmaceuticals and illegal drugs, including human growth hormones, steroids and even marijuana.
Over a three-month-long investigation, Eyewitness News found numerous postings in Southern California for prescription pain relievers, such as Oxycontin and Vicodin; anti-anxiety drugs like Valium and Xanax; along with erectile dysfunction medications Viagra, Cialis and Levitra. All are illegal to sell without a doctor's prescription and could be dangerous to consume.
One listing advertising Levitra had a bottle of 20 milligram tabs for sale for $140, or $6 per pill.
Such ads don't go without notice by authorities.
In a sting operation by members of the Health Authority Law Enforcement Task Force (HALT), a multi-jurisdictional, multi-agency unit that includes agents from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's and Health Services departments, an undercover agent posing as an interested buyer said a suspect tried to sell him a bottle of Levitra. The suspect was arrested on the spot.
When asked why he chose Craigslist to sell the medication, he responded simply, "It's free."
Investigators said they later determined the suspect stole some $64,000 worth of pills from his employer, a major healthcare provider, before trying to sell them on the website.
He has since been sentenced to six months in county jail.
"They are rolling the dice on whether or not law enforcement looks into it," sheriff's Sgt. Steve Opferman said. "You know they are doing this pretty much out in the open. They're putting an ad in the paper, so they are really begging to get caught. If we could monitor this every day, we could definitely do this on a daily basis."
Marijuana and other more dangerous drugs are often listed for sale under a variety of street names. For example, one Craigslist ad made reference to Tina Turner tickets. Tina Turner, or just Tina, are both street names for crystal meth.
HALT contacted the seller through the site and agreed to meet at a Bank of America building in Thousand Oaks where the suspect worked in security.
They arrested him after the undercover officer bought about a gram of methamphetamine right in front of the bank.
The bank fired the suspect. He has since pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges.
In a different case, authorities said surveillance tape shows a pharmacy tech stealing prescription medicines from behind the counter of a West Hollywood drugstore where he worked.
He was arrested at his Los Angeles home after about a two-month investigation. He was formally charged with burglary and grand theft for selling a stolen prescription medication on Craigslist.
Although, the suspect has pleaded not guilty, he told Eyewitness News he did sell the prescriptions and why he did.
"Money," he said. "My family needed certain kind of stuff and that's what I needed."
Complicating the situation, law enforcement and health officials said many of the drugs sold online are counterfeit, are manufactured overseas and people don't really know what they're buying.
"These drugs could have adverse affects on people and they cause dangers down the line," said Erick Aguilar, a county deputy health officer. "Some of them, especially the controlled substances, are controlled because of their potential of being addictive."
Though Craigslist has a list of prohibited items for sale, including illegal and prescription drugs, authorities said it's nearly impossible to stop people from selling illegal items because posting advertisements are free and largely unmonitored.
Craigslist did not return requests seeking comment.
Over a three-month-long investigation, Eyewitness News found numerous postings in Southern California for prescription pain relievers, such as Oxycontin and Vicodin; anti-anxiety drugs like Valium and Xanax; along with erectile dysfunction medications Viagra, Cialis and Levitra. All are illegal to sell without a doctor's prescription and could be dangerous to consume.
One listing advertising Levitra had a bottle of 20 milligram tabs for sale for $140, or $6 per pill.
Such ads don't go without notice by authorities.
In a sting operation by members of the Health Authority Law Enforcement Task Force (HALT), a multi-jurisdictional, multi-agency unit that includes agents from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's and Health Services departments, an undercover agent posing as an interested buyer said a suspect tried to sell him a bottle of Levitra. The suspect was arrested on the spot.
When asked why he chose Craigslist to sell the medication, he responded simply, "It's free."
Investigators said they later determined the suspect stole some $64,000 worth of pills from his employer, a major healthcare provider, before trying to sell them on the website.
He has since been sentenced to six months in county jail.
"They are rolling the dice on whether or not law enforcement looks into it," sheriff's Sgt. Steve Opferman said. "You know they are doing this pretty much out in the open. They're putting an ad in the paper, so they are really begging to get caught. If we could monitor this every day, we could definitely do this on a daily basis."
Marijuana and other more dangerous drugs are often listed for sale under a variety of street names. For example, one Craigslist ad made reference to Tina Turner tickets. Tina Turner, or just Tina, are both street names for crystal meth.
HALT contacted the seller through the site and agreed to meet at a Bank of America building in Thousand Oaks where the suspect worked in security.
They arrested him after the undercover officer bought about a gram of methamphetamine right in front of the bank.
The bank fired the suspect. He has since pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges.
In a different case, authorities said surveillance tape shows a pharmacy tech stealing prescription medicines from behind the counter of a West Hollywood drugstore where he worked.
He was arrested at his Los Angeles home after about a two-month investigation. He was formally charged with burglary and grand theft for selling a stolen prescription medication on Craigslist.
Although, the suspect has pleaded not guilty, he told Eyewitness News he did sell the prescriptions and why he did.
"Money," he said. "My family needed certain kind of stuff and that's what I needed."
Complicating the situation, law enforcement and health officials said many of the drugs sold online are counterfeit, are manufactured overseas and people don't really know what they're buying.
"These drugs could have adverse affects on people and they cause dangers down the line," said Erick Aguilar, a county deputy health officer. "Some of them, especially the controlled substances, are controlled because of their potential of being addictive."
Though Craigslist has a list of prohibited items for sale, including illegal and prescription drugs, authorities said it's nearly impossible to stop people from selling illegal items because posting advertisements are free and largely unmonitored.
Craigslist did not return requests seeking comment.
Huge Spanish steroids and HGH lab busted ( raids in four EU countries at nineteen addresses )
Police have busted what is thought to be the largest international medicine trafficking ring, seizing 700,000 doses of anabolic steroids, growth hormones and other unlawful medicines, and arresting 26 people, inlcuding the manager of a cycling club.
Amongst the drugs kidnapped in the 19 separate property searches carried out today were hundreds of thousands of well-known brands of tablets for erectile dysfunction, greater than 10,000 ampoules of growth hormones, anabolic steroids and other doping substances, with a street value of some 3.5 million euros.
The trafficking ring, with outlets in Alicante, Málaga and Madrid, used suppliers in China, India and Turkey, with intermediaries and storage facilities in the UK, Germany and Hungary so as not to arouse suspicion.
The police operation also found out a laboratory in a lock-up in Elche (Aicante), where a growth hormone bought in bulk from China was manufactured and packaged to be sold on the internet.
One of those arrested is the manager of a cycling club in the Comunidad de Madrid, who was caught allegedly taking delivery of a substantial quantity of EPO, a glycoprotein hormone that controls erythropoiesis, or red blood cell production.
The operation began back in July last year when police picked up on a company in the Comunidad Valenciana that was importing and selling huge consignments of unlawful medicines and transferring large sums of money to Chinese banks.
Amongst the drugs kidnapped in the 19 separate property searches carried out today were hundreds of thousands of well-known brands of tablets for erectile dysfunction, greater than 10,000 ampoules of growth hormones, anabolic steroids and other doping substances, with a street value of some 3.5 million euros.
The trafficking ring, with outlets in Alicante, Málaga and Madrid, used suppliers in China, India and Turkey, with intermediaries and storage facilities in the UK, Germany and Hungary so as not to arouse suspicion.
The police operation also found out a laboratory in a lock-up in Elche (Aicante), where a growth hormone bought in bulk from China was manufactured and packaged to be sold on the internet.
One of those arrested is the manager of a cycling club in the Comunidad de Madrid, who was caught allegedly taking delivery of a substantial quantity of EPO, a glycoprotein hormone that controls erythropoiesis, or red blood cell production.
The operation began back in July last year when police picked up on a company in the Comunidad Valenciana that was importing and selling huge consignments of unlawful medicines and transferring large sums of money to Chinese banks.
Scotland's NHS opens new steroids clinic.
A clinic is to be opened in Inverness offering help and advice to users of performance and image enhancing drugs.
NHS Highland said the steroids clinic would be the first of its kind outside of Glasgow.
It has been set up by the health board's harm reduction service and will be held every Wednesday evening from 18 May.
NHS Highland said there was evidence that such a service was needed in the city and the surrounding area.
Clinical harm reduction nurse Linda Macleod said steroids users would be offered advice on exercise and nutrition.
A needle exchange scheme and blood tests to check liver function, cholesterol and hormone levels will also be available.
Ms Macleod said: "We are aware, as is the case throughout Scotland, that there is an identified group of people who use performance and image enhancing drugs.
"They don't see themselves as drug users and for this reason they may not be keen to access services that are historically known as being for drug users, which is why we have set up this clinic.
"The clinic will be run out with normal hours, hopefully making it easier for them to attend - bearing in mind that this client group will mostly be working and will not find it easy to get away during the day."
NHS Highland said the steroids clinic would be the first of its kind outside of Glasgow.
It has been set up by the health board's harm reduction service and will be held every Wednesday evening from 18 May.
NHS Highland said there was evidence that such a service was needed in the city and the surrounding area.
Clinical harm reduction nurse Linda Macleod said steroids users would be offered advice on exercise and nutrition.
A needle exchange scheme and blood tests to check liver function, cholesterol and hormone levels will also be available.
Ms Macleod said: "We are aware, as is the case throughout Scotland, that there is an identified group of people who use performance and image enhancing drugs.
"They don't see themselves as drug users and for this reason they may not be keen to access services that are historically known as being for drug users, which is why we have set up this clinic.
"The clinic will be run out with normal hours, hopefully making it easier for them to attend - bearing in mind that this client group will mostly be working and will not find it easy to get away during the day."
WADS's internal document "index of suspicion" of probable dopers in cycling leaked.
The World Anti-Doping Agency wants to know who leaked cycling's "index of suspicion" to a French newspaper.
WADA announced Sunday it will launch an independent investigation into the leak of one of the International Cycling Union's internal documents that ranked riders at last year's Tour de France on a scale of doping suspicion.
The list caused outrage among many riders, who felt any rating but zero — no suspicion — on the 0-to-10 scale makes them look like drug cheats.
The UCI had already started its own investigation.
Director general David Howson said WADA wants to make sure it was not the source of the list that appeared Friday in the all-sports newspaper l'Equipe.
"If there's any suggestion there would be a leak coming from us I wanted it investigated immediately," Howson said, at the conclusion of a two-day meeting of WADA's executive committee and foundation board. "It's a principle we stand on and something we want to make sure is stopped immediately.
"I don't think there's any possibility there was a WADA person involved. I've already conducted an initial inquiry as soon as I received a phone call to suggest it might have come from us. I just can't stand that sort of thing. Let's wait to see what comes out."
The list which l'Equipe called the "index of suspicion" rates professional cyclists on how likely they feel they are to be using banned substances.
It was based on blood tests taken just before the 2010 Tour de France and the athletes' biological passports, a record of their test history, and was intended to target the most suspicious for extra testing.
Many sports and athletic events such as the Olympics use targeted testing, but it is the first time a list has been made public. A UCI statement said suspicion does not imply guilt and that it "deplores and strongly condemns this breach of confidentiality."
Some riders have threatened court action, saying the list is defamatory.
Howson also condemned the leak.
"There's the fundamental issue of confidentiality, which we are bound to protect, and we owe that to athletes, otherwise athletes start losing confidence in the system," he said. "I think the information in the report can be misconstrued in a way that is not fair, and therefore if someone is outraged, I can understand it.
"But I think there needs to be a little bit of calm so at least the principle issue can be addressed, the one relating to a leak, and then we can deal with the substance if necessary."
Of the 198 athletes on the list, 156 were rated five or lower, with most at either zero or one.
Yaroslav Popovych of Ukraine and Spanish rider Carlos Barrero both rated 10, but the best-known cyclist rated high was former Italian Giro winner Denis Menchov of Russia at nine. Menchov was third at the Tour de France.
Two Canadians who participated in the race were also listed. Victoria's Ryder Hesjedal, who rides for Garmin-Transitions, received a one. Toronto's Michael Barry, who is with Sky Procycling, was a zero.
Howson would not comment on WADA's decision to go the Court for Arbitration in Sport to appeal the Spanish cycling federation's decision to absolve three-time Tour de France winner Alberto Contador of a positive test for the banned muscle-builder clenbuterol.
Contador said he inadvertently ingested the substance while eating contaminated beef. He avoided a two-year suspension.
The growing sport of mixed martial arts has so far not signed on with WADA, but conducts testing at its events. WADA president John Fahey said they are open to working with MMA organizations like UFC in the same voluntary manner they work with major league team sports in North America.
"It's a privately owned sport, it's not government controlled or funded, so we're little we can do other than extend the invitation to them, if they wish to take advantage of what we may be able to assist them with," he said.
When local state or provincial fight commissions do not do post-fight tests, UFC conducts its own tests. Marc Ratner, UFC's vice-president for regulatory affairs, said that was the case in recent UFC shows in Canada.
"We used a lab in Montreal for our Toronto show and all tests came back negative for PEDs as well as illegal street drugs," he said, adding that the Vancouver lab will be used for tests at an upcoming card in that city.
WADA also outlined plans for closer co-operation with police agencies around the world in the fight against doping.
Fahey called it a guideline rather a formal document, but it showed how working with law enforcement agencies has helped, including the seizure of doping items at the 2006 Winter Olympics and in the BALCO steroids case in the United States.
WADA announced Sunday it will launch an independent investigation into the leak of one of the International Cycling Union's internal documents that ranked riders at last year's Tour de France on a scale of doping suspicion.
The list caused outrage among many riders, who felt any rating but zero — no suspicion — on the 0-to-10 scale makes them look like drug cheats.
The UCI had already started its own investigation.
Director general David Howson said WADA wants to make sure it was not the source of the list that appeared Friday in the all-sports newspaper l'Equipe.
"If there's any suggestion there would be a leak coming from us I wanted it investigated immediately," Howson said, at the conclusion of a two-day meeting of WADA's executive committee and foundation board. "It's a principle we stand on and something we want to make sure is stopped immediately.
"I don't think there's any possibility there was a WADA person involved. I've already conducted an initial inquiry as soon as I received a phone call to suggest it might have come from us. I just can't stand that sort of thing. Let's wait to see what comes out."
The list which l'Equipe called the "index of suspicion" rates professional cyclists on how likely they feel they are to be using banned substances.
It was based on blood tests taken just before the 2010 Tour de France and the athletes' biological passports, a record of their test history, and was intended to target the most suspicious for extra testing.
Many sports and athletic events such as the Olympics use targeted testing, but it is the first time a list has been made public. A UCI statement said suspicion does not imply guilt and that it "deplores and strongly condemns this breach of confidentiality."
Some riders have threatened court action, saying the list is defamatory.
Howson also condemned the leak.
"There's the fundamental issue of confidentiality, which we are bound to protect, and we owe that to athletes, otherwise athletes start losing confidence in the system," he said. "I think the information in the report can be misconstrued in a way that is not fair, and therefore if someone is outraged, I can understand it.
"But I think there needs to be a little bit of calm so at least the principle issue can be addressed, the one relating to a leak, and then we can deal with the substance if necessary."
Of the 198 athletes on the list, 156 were rated five or lower, with most at either zero or one.
Yaroslav Popovych of Ukraine and Spanish rider Carlos Barrero both rated 10, but the best-known cyclist rated high was former Italian Giro winner Denis Menchov of Russia at nine. Menchov was third at the Tour de France.
Two Canadians who participated in the race were also listed. Victoria's Ryder Hesjedal, who rides for Garmin-Transitions, received a one. Toronto's Michael Barry, who is with Sky Procycling, was a zero.
Howson would not comment on WADA's decision to go the Court for Arbitration in Sport to appeal the Spanish cycling federation's decision to absolve three-time Tour de France winner Alberto Contador of a positive test for the banned muscle-builder clenbuterol.
Contador said he inadvertently ingested the substance while eating contaminated beef. He avoided a two-year suspension.
The growing sport of mixed martial arts has so far not signed on with WADA, but conducts testing at its events. WADA president John Fahey said they are open to working with MMA organizations like UFC in the same voluntary manner they work with major league team sports in North America.
"It's a privately owned sport, it's not government controlled or funded, so we're little we can do other than extend the invitation to them, if they wish to take advantage of what we may be able to assist them with," he said.
When local state or provincial fight commissions do not do post-fight tests, UFC conducts its own tests. Marc Ratner, UFC's vice-president for regulatory affairs, said that was the case in recent UFC shows in Canada.
"We used a lab in Montreal for our Toronto show and all tests came back negative for PEDs as well as illegal street drugs," he said, adding that the Vancouver lab will be used for tests at an upcoming card in that city.
WADA also outlined plans for closer co-operation with police agencies around the world in the fight against doping.
Fahey called it a guideline rather a formal document, but it showed how working with law enforcement agencies has helped, including the seizure of doping items at the 2006 Winter Olympics and in the BALCO steroids case in the United States.
South Africa plans to crackdown on the local steroid trade.
The South African Institute for Drug Free Sport on Thursday announced it will implement an Anti-Doping Intelligence System to aggressively clamp down on the country’s criminal steroid syndicates, who control the trafficking of illegal performance-enhancing drugs. Institute chief executive Khalid Galant, who announced the plan, said trafficking of illegal performance-enhancing drugs was big business. 'Anecdotal evidence and drug arrests point to substantial involvement of criminal syndicates who are manufacturing illegal steroids in laboratories and trafficking steroids and using the sale of steroids and other illicit medicines as a means to launder ill-gotten gains.
'The return on investment is high and risks are considered substantially lower to the syndicates when manufacturing and trafficking steroids, as opposed to smuggling drugs such as cocaine, heroin or manufacturing methamphetamine,' he said.
Galant said South Africa was in danger of becoming a renowned 'steroid destination' for Africa and other parts of the world, because some of the busiest ports are in South Africa, making it very vulnerable to the entry of illicit drugs into the country.
Galant said criminal syndicates control a significant proportion of world sport, and Interpol and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) have confirmed the involvement of criminal syndicates with steroid trafficking and estimates that there is more money made in trafficking illegal performance-enhancing drugs than in dealing heroin.
At the recent Tackling Doping in Sport 2011 conference at Twickenham, UK, both bodies called for world sport to clamp down on criminal gangs.
'The return on investment is high and risks are considered substantially lower to the syndicates when manufacturing and trafficking steroids, as opposed to smuggling drugs such as cocaine, heroin or manufacturing methamphetamine,' he said.
Galant said South Africa was in danger of becoming a renowned 'steroid destination' for Africa and other parts of the world, because some of the busiest ports are in South Africa, making it very vulnerable to the entry of illicit drugs into the country.
Galant said criminal syndicates control a significant proportion of world sport, and Interpol and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) have confirmed the involvement of criminal syndicates with steroid trafficking and estimates that there is more money made in trafficking illegal performance-enhancing drugs than in dealing heroin.
At the recent Tackling Doping in Sport 2011 conference at Twickenham, UK, both bodies called for world sport to clamp down on criminal gangs.
Two Canadian University football players test positive for steroids.
Two players with the Universite Laval Rouge et Or football team have been suspended for two years after testing positive for steroid use, the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport announced Tuesday.
Second-year linebacker Michael Abraham failed a urine test administered on Feb. 7, testing positive for the steroid 19-norandrosterone.
During a second round of tests a month later, first-year offensive lineman Steeve Vachon tested positive for methandienone.
Both players admitted their infractions once confronted with the test results and were banned from playing for the Rouge et Or for two years.
Second-year linebacker Michael Abraham failed a urine test administered on Feb. 7, testing positive for the steroid 19-norandrosterone.
During a second round of tests a month later, first-year offensive lineman Steeve Vachon tested positive for methandienone.
Both players admitted their infractions once confronted with the test results and were banned from playing for the Rouge et Or for two years.
Operation Raw Deal target gets three years for Compton based underground steroid lab.
A man prosecutors say manufactured steroids at one of the largest underground steroid labs ever found in the United States and sold them on the Internet was sentenced on Monday to three years in federal prison.
Warren Abramson, 33, pleaded guilty in January to five counts of possession with intent to distribute anabolic steroids, maintaining a drug-related premises and possessing unregistered firearm silencers.
Abramson was indicted by a federal grand jury last June on charges stemming from a 2007 raid of his home in the Los Angeles suburb of Compton, where authorities say they uncovered a clandestine steroid lab and made one of the largest steroid seizures in U.S. history.
Investigators found more than 6.5 kilograms (14.3 pounds) of anabolic steroids, which translates into more than a quarter million doses, said Thom Mrozek, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles.
Also found were numerous firearms, three silencers and thousands of rounds of ammunition, Mrozek said.
Mrozek said Abramson remained a fugitive following the indictment, until he was arrested in Las Vegas in September while attempting to purchase firearms.
Warren Abramson, 33, pleaded guilty in January to five counts of possession with intent to distribute anabolic steroids, maintaining a drug-related premises and possessing unregistered firearm silencers.
Abramson was indicted by a federal grand jury last June on charges stemming from a 2007 raid of his home in the Los Angeles suburb of Compton, where authorities say they uncovered a clandestine steroid lab and made one of the largest steroid seizures in U.S. history.
Investigators found more than 6.5 kilograms (14.3 pounds) of anabolic steroids, which translates into more than a quarter million doses, said Thom Mrozek, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles.
Also found were numerous firearms, three silencers and thousands of rounds of ammunition, Mrozek said.
Mrozek said Abramson remained a fugitive following the indictment, until he was arrested in Las Vegas in September while attempting to purchase firearms.
Bodybuilding and steroids on the rise in Afghanistan.
Steroids were on sale last week at Bush Bazaar, a maze of stalls named after President George W. Bush because merchants hock U.S. military surplus and other American wares, including bodybuilding vitamins, shakes and powders with names like Mega Mass and Great Gainer.
Among the vendors was Zalmai, 23, who goes by one name and keeps steroid vials and tablets stashed on a shelf in his shop behind bottles of "power capsules" sporting the likeness of Jay Cutler, former Mr. Olympia.
Steroids for sale include systanol, testoviron and deca durabolin. He also sells human chorionic gonadotropin, or HCG, a hormone used to enhance steroids' effects.
Each box of steroids sells for about $5, he said. The Health Ministry inspector who visits regularly does not ask about the steroids — he mainly checks to make sure the protein powders have not expired. Steroids are not illegal, so Zalmai — an aspiring bodybuilder himself — has never had a problem.
"These are only for professionals," he said, adding that he makes those new to the sport wait four months before selling them steroids.
"The people who don't know how to use it are damaging their bodies," he said.
It was rumored that steroids contributed to the death of last year's Mr. Afghanistan heavyweight title winner. Arif Sakhi, 26, died last June after suffering liver and kidney failure, typical side effects of longtime steroid abuse.
Ustaad Bawar Hotak, the head of the Afghanistan Bodybuilding Federation, and others in the Afghan bodybuilding community deny that Sakhi was doping. In a country rife with corruption and organized crime, where conspiracy theories abound, they insist he was killed by his enemies.
"It wasn't about using drugs," gym owner Sherzad says. "He just had problems with people who poisoned him."
But both Sherzad and Hotak concede that doping is common among Afghan bodybuilding amateurs and professionals, and that more could be done to expand testing at professional competitions.
"We don't have the systems to do the doping tests here, because it's expensive," Hotak says, and the country does not have specialized labs to handle testing.
Last year, Afghanistan's National Olympic Committee joined the World Anti-Doping Agency, which has promised drug-testing equipment and funding in coming months, according to the committee's president, Lt. Gen. Mohammad Tahir Aghbar.
Last month, Aghbar created a team of investigators who inspect Kabul's gyms, quietly looking for steroids. During the next few months, they will report which gyms have the most people using steroids, he says, and his office plans to mount an educational campaign in Kabul and other provinces geared toward zero tolerance.
Among the vendors was Zalmai, 23, who goes by one name and keeps steroid vials and tablets stashed on a shelf in his shop behind bottles of "power capsules" sporting the likeness of Jay Cutler, former Mr. Olympia.
Steroids for sale include systanol, testoviron and deca durabolin. He also sells human chorionic gonadotropin, or HCG, a hormone used to enhance steroids' effects.
Each box of steroids sells for about $5, he said. The Health Ministry inspector who visits regularly does not ask about the steroids — he mainly checks to make sure the protein powders have not expired. Steroids are not illegal, so Zalmai — an aspiring bodybuilder himself — has never had a problem.
"These are only for professionals," he said, adding that he makes those new to the sport wait four months before selling them steroids.
"The people who don't know how to use it are damaging their bodies," he said.
It was rumored that steroids contributed to the death of last year's Mr. Afghanistan heavyweight title winner. Arif Sakhi, 26, died last June after suffering liver and kidney failure, typical side effects of longtime steroid abuse.
Ustaad Bawar Hotak, the head of the Afghanistan Bodybuilding Federation, and others in the Afghan bodybuilding community deny that Sakhi was doping. In a country rife with corruption and organized crime, where conspiracy theories abound, they insist he was killed by his enemies.
"It wasn't about using drugs," gym owner Sherzad says. "He just had problems with people who poisoned him."
But both Sherzad and Hotak concede that doping is common among Afghan bodybuilding amateurs and professionals, and that more could be done to expand testing at professional competitions.
"We don't have the systems to do the doping tests here, because it's expensive," Hotak says, and the country does not have specialized labs to handle testing.
Last year, Afghanistan's National Olympic Committee joined the World Anti-Doping Agency, which has promised drug-testing equipment and funding in coming months, according to the committee's president, Lt. Gen. Mohammad Tahir Aghbar.
Last month, Aghbar created a team of investigators who inspect Kabul's gyms, quietly looking for steroids. During the next few months, they will report which gyms have the most people using steroids, he says, and his office plans to mount an educational campaign in Kabul and other provinces geared toward zero tolerance.
IForce Nutrition fined $125000 for steroid tainted supplements.
An Arizona-based pharmaceutical company has been fined and placed on probation for violating federal laws governing dietary supplements.
Tribravus Enterprises, which also does business as IForce Nutrition in California, was penalized this week in federal court in Boise. The company was convicted for distributing drugs that violated the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.
U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill fined the company $125,000 and imposed stricter testing protocols during a three-year probation to make sure the company's future diet pills don't contain banned steroids.
Food and Drug Administration investigators found that the company's dietary pills and capsules contained synthetic steroids and should have been regulated as unapproved drugs under federal laws.
The charges were filed in Idaho because Tribravus delivered its products to an Idaho retail company for wider distribution.
Tribravus Enterprises, which also does business as IForce Nutrition in California, was penalized this week in federal court in Boise. The company was convicted for distributing drugs that violated the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.
U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill fined the company $125,000 and imposed stricter testing protocols during a three-year probation to make sure the company's future diet pills don't contain banned steroids.
Food and Drug Administration investigators found that the company's dietary pills and capsules contained synthetic steroids and should have been regulated as unapproved drugs under federal laws.
The charges were filed in Idaho because Tribravus delivered its products to an Idaho retail company for wider distribution.
Two British Police officers charged with supplying steroids.
Two St Helens police officers have been suspended after they were charged with misconduct and supplying bodybuilding steroids.
DC Paul Fletcher, 46 of Bryn, Wigan and Sergeant Paul Hornby, 42, of Winstanley, have been accused of supplying Class C drugs.
They are also charged with misconduct in public office.
It emerged this week the charges were brought against them on Thursday, April 14.
The officers appeared at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court, which granted bail to the men until Friday, May 12 when they are due to appear at Liverpool Crown Court.
DC Paul Fletcher, 46 of Bryn, Wigan and Sergeant Paul Hornby, 42, of Winstanley, have been accused of supplying Class C drugs.
They are also charged with misconduct in public office.
It emerged this week the charges were brought against them on Thursday, April 14.
The officers appeared at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court, which granted bail to the men until Friday, May 12 when they are due to appear at Liverpool Crown Court.
British Facebook steroid dealer targetted by UK press.
( The number of steroid dealers on Facebook is very high. I'm actually surprised this is the first case of it to appear in the mainstream press. Many of the dealers are even using their real names ).
Tony Laidler, a 36-year-old bodybuilder, nightclub doorman and Nissan car factory worker, tells potential customers that injecting drugs is not painful and advises them to use Google to check for side-effects.
Repeated postings from Laidler stating "Human growth hormone £150" and "Melantan 2 tanning injections £25" have appeared on the pages of his more than 770 Facebook friends.
Moat, also a bodybuilder and nightclub doorman, had used steroids for years and had a history of violence and paranoia.
He went on the rampage on Tyneside with a sawn-off shotgun last July, murdering one person and seriously injuring two others before eventually killing himself.
Laidler was a childhood friend of Moat and a pall-bearer at his funeral, and has since been a contributor to the "RIP Raoul Moat" Facebook page.
Laidler's adverts, uncovered in a Sky News investigation, encourage people to contact him directly, but some potential customers have written on his Facebook wall.
Enquiring about Melantan 2, a common misspelling of the unlicensed tanning drug Melanotan II, one woman who runs a beauty salon asked Laidler: "Do they hurt?
"Where do u inject it into n would I need a licence for it in the salon? any side effects?" she wrote.
Laidler replied: "dont hurt, get your body to release its tanning agent, tans in 5 day last 3 months ish," adding: "Google it, it's on google".
In reply to another enquiry from a man in County Durham, Laidler described the quantities on offer as: "Melantan 2 10mg per vil, hgh 100iu".
Human growth hormone is measured in International Units, or IUs, of powder while Melanotan II is typically produced in 10mg vials.
Both drugs are mixed with water and injected by users.
Tony Laidler, a 36-year-old bodybuilder, nightclub doorman and Nissan car factory worker, tells potential customers that injecting drugs is not painful and advises them to use Google to check for side-effects.
Repeated postings from Laidler stating "Human growth hormone £150" and "Melantan 2 tanning injections £25" have appeared on the pages of his more than 770 Facebook friends.
Moat, also a bodybuilder and nightclub doorman, had used steroids for years and had a history of violence and paranoia.
He went on the rampage on Tyneside with a sawn-off shotgun last July, murdering one person and seriously injuring two others before eventually killing himself.
Laidler was a childhood friend of Moat and a pall-bearer at his funeral, and has since been a contributor to the "RIP Raoul Moat" Facebook page.
Laidler's adverts, uncovered in a Sky News investigation, encourage people to contact him directly, but some potential customers have written on his Facebook wall.
Enquiring about Melantan 2, a common misspelling of the unlicensed tanning drug Melanotan II, one woman who runs a beauty salon asked Laidler: "Do they hurt?
"Where do u inject it into n would I need a licence for it in the salon? any side effects?" she wrote.
Laidler replied: "dont hurt, get your body to release its tanning agent, tans in 5 day last 3 months ish," adding: "Google it, it's on google".
In reply to another enquiry from a man in County Durham, Laidler described the quantities on offer as: "Melantan 2 10mg per vil, hgh 100iu".
Human growth hormone is measured in International Units, or IUs, of powder while Melanotan II is typically produced in 10mg vials.
Both drugs are mixed with water and injected by users.
Philly detective pleads not guilty in steroids case.
A Philadelphia police detective charged last week with heading a conspiracy to illegally distribute anabolic steroids pleaded not guilty Tuesday in federal magistrate court and was released on $50,000 unsecured bond.
U.S. Magistrate Linda Caracappa also put Keith Gidelson, 34, under 24-hour house arrest with electronic monitoring at his Waldemire Drive home in the city's Andalusia section. He had been detained since his arrest on April 27.
Gidelson, a 14-year veteran, was a detective assigned to the special-victims unit, but had been out on disability before his arrest.
Two other police officers - Joseph McIntyre, 36, and George Sambuca, 25 - were also charged in the case and released on $50,000 unsecured bond. Sambuca has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy and distribution of anabolic steroids and McIntyre has not yet been arraigned.
All three have been suspended from the force for 30 days with intent to dismiss.
U.S. Magistrate Linda Caracappa also put Keith Gidelson, 34, under 24-hour house arrest with electronic monitoring at his Waldemire Drive home in the city's Andalusia section. He had been detained since his arrest on April 27.
Gidelson, a 14-year veteran, was a detective assigned to the special-victims unit, but had been out on disability before his arrest.
Two other police officers - Joseph McIntyre, 36, and George Sambuca, 25 - were also charged in the case and released on $50,000 unsecured bond. Sambuca has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy and distribution of anabolic steroids and McIntyre has not yet been arraigned.
All three have been suspended from the force for 30 days with intent to dismiss.
Abbott sues Teva to try and keep it's generic Testosterone gel off US pharmacy shelves.
An Abbott Laboratories unit accused generic drugmaker Teva Pharmaceuticals USA in a lawsuit of patent infringement with plans to market a copy of Abbott’s AndroGel testosterone preparation.
Abbott is asking a judge to block U.S. sales of the drug by Teva until the patent expires in 2021, according to an April 29 complaint filed in federal court in Wilmington, Delaware.
Without such an order, “plaintiffs will be substantially and irreparably harmed by Teva’s infringement,” lawyers for Abbott contend in court papers.
The Abbott Park, Illinois-based drugmaker said in a statement April 29 it received approval from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration to sell the 1.62 percent prescription gel formulation, used to treat adult men with hypogonadism, or lack of testosterone.
The condition, affecting nearly 14 million U.S. men, can result in hair loss, erectile dysfunction, decreased sexual desire and depression, according to the statement.
The case is Abbott Products Inc. v. Teva Pharmaceuticals USA Inc., 11-cv-384, U.S. District Court, District of Delaware (Wilmington).
Abbott is asking a judge to block U.S. sales of the drug by Teva until the patent expires in 2021, according to an April 29 complaint filed in federal court in Wilmington, Delaware.
Without such an order, “plaintiffs will be substantially and irreparably harmed by Teva’s infringement,” lawyers for Abbott contend in court papers.
The Abbott Park, Illinois-based drugmaker said in a statement April 29 it received approval from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration to sell the 1.62 percent prescription gel formulation, used to treat adult men with hypogonadism, or lack of testosterone.
The condition, affecting nearly 14 million U.S. men, can result in hair loss, erectile dysfunction, decreased sexual desire and depression, according to the statement.
The case is Abbott Products Inc. v. Teva Pharmaceuticals USA Inc., 11-cv-384, U.S. District Court, District of Delaware (Wilmington).
Pakistan Body Building Federation worried about steroid use.
Excessive use of drugs and steroids by owners of body building gyms in absence of expert advice has become a matter of concern for the Pakistan Body Building Federation.
“It’s a matter of serious concern because this trend is rising among gym owners, which are not checked by any government agency,” said the general secretary of South Asian Body Building Federation, Sohail Anwar.
Talking to this correspondent on the sidelines of a bodybuilding contest held at Sindh Museum, Mr Anwar raised some important questions about the bodybuilding which was getting popular day by day thanks to English and Indian movies.
Anwar who runs a chain of gyms in Karachi believed that bodybuilding was not restricted to a particular class now.
“Irrespective of the discipline, fitness is becoming very important for people. That’s why we are trying to change concept of bodybuilding and trying to introduce a healthy lifestyle,” he said.
“Look at the turnout of youths in this hall for this district-level event…this despite the sport of bodybuilding not getting any backing,” he argued.
On the culture of steroid and supplment use he said, “In fact, gyms are mostly run by uneducated people and they feel free to train boys the way they want. As a result, steroids and food supplements are being excessively used.”
He said that a check and balance system for use of supplements should be put in place under advice of medical experts.
“Educated people are not coming to own this field so quacks become trainers and start training bodybuilders,” Anwar said.
“I raised this issue before the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on sports after we returned from South Asian Games,” he said referring to four gold, two silver and one bronze medals bagged by Pakistani bodybuilders in that event.
“Our federation should be have authority to issue NoCs to people for opening gyms so that this sport is organised in a better way,” he said.
Anwar emphasised the need for a legislation to keep things in order and to check use of drugs and steroids.
“Only food supplements certified by laboratories should be allowed in gyms,” he said.
“It’s a matter of serious concern because this trend is rising among gym owners, which are not checked by any government agency,” said the general secretary of South Asian Body Building Federation, Sohail Anwar.
Talking to this correspondent on the sidelines of a bodybuilding contest held at Sindh Museum, Mr Anwar raised some important questions about the bodybuilding which was getting popular day by day thanks to English and Indian movies.
Anwar who runs a chain of gyms in Karachi believed that bodybuilding was not restricted to a particular class now.
“Irrespective of the discipline, fitness is becoming very important for people. That’s why we are trying to change concept of bodybuilding and trying to introduce a healthy lifestyle,” he said.
“Look at the turnout of youths in this hall for this district-level event…this despite the sport of bodybuilding not getting any backing,” he argued.
On the culture of steroid and supplment use he said, “In fact, gyms are mostly run by uneducated people and they feel free to train boys the way they want. As a result, steroids and food supplements are being excessively used.”
He said that a check and balance system for use of supplements should be put in place under advice of medical experts.
“Educated people are not coming to own this field so quacks become trainers and start training bodybuilders,” Anwar said.
“I raised this issue before the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on sports after we returned from South Asian Games,” he said referring to four gold, two silver and one bronze medals bagged by Pakistani bodybuilders in that event.
“Our federation should be have authority to issue NoCs to people for opening gyms so that this sport is organised in a better way,” he said.
Anwar emphasised the need for a legislation to keep things in order and to check use of drugs and steroids.
“Only food supplements certified by laboratories should be allowed in gyms,” he said.
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