( or was the problem actually that the products in question were underground ? )
A BODYBUILDER caught with a stash of illegal anabolic steroids and testosterone was reprimanded at Swindon Magistrates’ Court.
Graham McAdams, of Grange Park, originally denied possessing class C drugs, because an official drugs education website says it is legal to possess or import steroids, providing they are in the form of a medical product for personal use.
However, the 31-year-old changed his plea to guilty on what was listed as his trial day yesterday after a ruling in another case damaged his potential defence.
Richard Thomas, prosecuting, said the matter came to light when police executed a warrant in Kennedy Drive, Eldene, on October 28, 2010.
Under McAdams’ bed, police found some tablets, which were seized as suspected controlled drugs and were later found to contain class C controlled drugs.
Police found 15 boxes containing what was described as Boldenone, but which was in fact a liquid containing the controlled drugs drostanolone, testosterone, nandrolone and boldenone.
They found 400 individual 100mg caplets of Stromba 10, which contains the controlled substance Stanozolol, an anabolic steroid.
They also found 104 tablets containing Stanozolol, as well as eight boxes of the controlled substance testosterone, three glass vials of Sustanol containing a quantity of testosterone, and one glass vial containing more testosterone.
Mr Thomas said: “All of these matters are controlled drugs under class C and they are all items which are used by individuals in body-building, athletes and the like to enhance performance and physique.
“Nevertheless, they are unlawful to possess.
“You no doubt will be aware of the problems that can be caused by the use of anabolic steroids and clearly they can have an effect on people very detrimental to their health and their behaviour.”
McAdams, an industrial plumber, of Marney Road, admitted seven counts of possessing class C drugs.
Amanda Thornton, defending, said McAdams is a contestant in body-building competitions and used the drugs as body-building enhancers.
She said he originally pleaded not guilty because the guidelines on the official drug education service website, Frank, suggested they were legal to possess in his case.
After that, she and McAdams contacted Avon and Somerset Police and the Avon and Somerset CPS, who both said possession of these drugs was not something they would prosecute for.
She said: “It’s extremely unclear for Mr McAdams what his position was on this.
“The guidelines by the Government stated it was legal for him to possess it if it was a medical product.”
However, Ms Thornton said as the case was progressing to trial, there was another case which established that anabolic steroids cannot be counted as medical products if used for bodybuilding purposes, until evidence can be produced to prove they are medical products.
She asked for magistrates to give him a lesser sentence on the basis that the information being given to the public through Frank was wrong and the legal situation was confusing.
McAdams was given a 12-month conditional discharge and told to pay £85 costs.
Tahitian customs agent and bodybuilder caught with steroids in New Caledonia.
A Tahitian body builder has received a suspended jail sentence after being found in possession of performance enhancing drugs in New Caledonia.
Steve Wong Foe, 31, was charged by customs with one count of illegal importation and a further police charge of possession of illegal substances. He has recieved a four-month jail sentence suspended for three years.
Wong Foe, who was due to compete in the Pacific Games, cried in court and said he wanted to go home.
To avoid jail, Wong Foe will be required to submit to regular drug tests and must not compete in body building during the three years.
The criminal conviction means Wong Foe will lose his job as a customs agent in Tahiti.
His lawyer, Jean Jacques Deswarte, says he will appeal.
Mr Deswarte said the sentence was too severe, and that he believed the court was trying to make an example out of his client.
Steve Wong Foe, 31, was charged by customs with one count of illegal importation and a further police charge of possession of illegal substances. He has recieved a four-month jail sentence suspended for three years.
Wong Foe, who was due to compete in the Pacific Games, cried in court and said he wanted to go home.
To avoid jail, Wong Foe will be required to submit to regular drug tests and must not compete in body building during the three years.
The criminal conviction means Wong Foe will lose his job as a customs agent in Tahiti.
His lawyer, Jean Jacques Deswarte, says he will appeal.
Mr Deswarte said the sentence was too severe, and that he believed the court was trying to make an example out of his client.
Prison guard caught buying steroids in IHOP car park.
A Broward County Sheriff's Office Correctional Deputy was busted after police say he was caught buying steroids in an IHOP parking lot.
David Agosto, 44, was arrested on August 6 and charged with possession of anabolic steroids, according to a Hollywood Police arrest report.
According to the report, members of the Hollywood Police's Street Crimes Unit were conducting surveillance in the parking lot of the IHOP at 2754 Hollywood Boulevard when they spotted Agosto and another man talking in the parking lot.
The other man, identified as David Kader, opened the trunk of a BMW and handed Agosto a pill bottle, the report said.
When Agosto got into a white Ford Crown Victoria, the officers moved in and stopped both men, the report said.
According to the report, when officers searched Kader's car, they found approximately 20,000 pills in his trunk, numerous glass jars with a liquid substance marked testosterone and numerous syringes throughout the trunk and car.
Police also found an AK-47 assault rife with two empty magazines in the trunk, a loaded .40 caliber Glock handgun underneath the driver's seat, and $2,821 in cash.
Kader was "trembling and appeared to be extremely nervous," the report said, and told detectives he was in the parking lot "selling his buddy some supplements."
When Agosto was approached, he handed detectives a Broward County Sheriff's Office Correctional Deputy ID card, the report said.
Police found a bottle containing 100 pills on Agosto, which matched those found in Kader's car, the report said. Officers also found a BSO uniform with a deputy star and a .40 caliber Glock in Agosto's trunk, the report said.
Agosto told detectives he'd bought pills from Kader, and Agosto was taken into custody, the report said.
Poison control later identified the orange pills found in both cars as Winstrol, an anabolic steroid, the report said. Other pills and the liquid were also identified as anabolic steroids.
Though it's unknown whether Agosto or Kader were taking the steroids, the report noted "Kader and Agosto are extremely muscular and heavy weight lifters."
BSO officials said Agosto has been with the department since 2002. He was suspended with pay on Aug. 8.
Both men bonded out of jail. It was unknown whether either has an attorney.
David Agosto, 44, was arrested on August 6 and charged with possession of anabolic steroids, according to a Hollywood Police arrest report.
According to the report, members of the Hollywood Police's Street Crimes Unit were conducting surveillance in the parking lot of the IHOP at 2754 Hollywood Boulevard when they spotted Agosto and another man talking in the parking lot.
The other man, identified as David Kader, opened the trunk of a BMW and handed Agosto a pill bottle, the report said.
When Agosto got into a white Ford Crown Victoria, the officers moved in and stopped both men, the report said.
According to the report, when officers searched Kader's car, they found approximately 20,000 pills in his trunk, numerous glass jars with a liquid substance marked testosterone and numerous syringes throughout the trunk and car.
Police also found an AK-47 assault rife with two empty magazines in the trunk, a loaded .40 caliber Glock handgun underneath the driver's seat, and $2,821 in cash.
Kader was "trembling and appeared to be extremely nervous," the report said, and told detectives he was in the parking lot "selling his buddy some supplements."
When Agosto was approached, he handed detectives a Broward County Sheriff's Office Correctional Deputy ID card, the report said.
Police found a bottle containing 100 pills on Agosto, which matched those found in Kader's car, the report said. Officers also found a BSO uniform with a deputy star and a .40 caliber Glock in Agosto's trunk, the report said.
Agosto told detectives he'd bought pills from Kader, and Agosto was taken into custody, the report said.
Poison control later identified the orange pills found in both cars as Winstrol, an anabolic steroid, the report said. Other pills and the liquid were also identified as anabolic steroids.
Though it's unknown whether Agosto or Kader were taking the steroids, the report noted "Kader and Agosto are extremely muscular and heavy weight lifters."
BSO officials said Agosto has been with the department since 2002. He was suspended with pay on Aug. 8.
Both men bonded out of jail. It was unknown whether either has an attorney.
British bodybuilder dies after being Tasered 3 times :-(
A man in his 20s has died in Cumbria after being shot with a Taser by police during his arrest.
Police were called to Hartington Street in Barrow at 6.30pm on Tuesday following reports of a man causing a disturbance.
A Taser was used during the arrest and the man later complained of feeling unwell. He was taken to hospital, where he died.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission has been called in.
The man has not been formally identified but was named locally as Dale Burns.
A friend, who did not want to be identified, said: "Dale worked the doors around here at different pubs. He had a girlfriend and two young kids, aged four and two and a half.
"I went to the hospital last night and his mum Donna was there. She didn't know why he had been Tasered or what had happened.
"Apparently he had been Tasered three times.
"Dale was a really good lad, we went to the gym together, he'd been going since he was 15."
A Cumbria police spokesman said: "Neighbourhood police officers attended the scene and arrested a male on suspicion of causing criminal damage and, during the arrest, a Taser was deployed.
"The man became unwell following the arrest and was taken to Furness general hospital by officers.
"At around 9pm the man, who was in his 20s and lived locally, was pronounced dead."
Stan Dewhurst, the owner of Flexappeal gym in Barrow-in-Furness, said: "Dale was a good lad, he worked for me at the gym for five years. He worked as a gym instructor but he would lock up for me and look after things while I was away.
"He entered bodybuilding competitions, regional and national, and was into his sports."
He said Mr Burns had won three gold medals in a judo competition this year. He was "very dedicated and hardworking and was a good dad".
"This year he entered a judo competition and won three gold medals. Today was his daughter's fourth birthday."
It is believed Mr Burns was in his flat on Hartington Street when the police were called, and that there were no others present in the flat.
The last person in Britain to die after being Tasered was Brian Loan, 47, from Sacriston, County Durham, in October 2006. An inquest into his death ruled he had died of heart problems.
But his sister, Barbara Hodgson, said the father-of-seven was in good health, ate well, took regular exercise and had never complained of chest pains.
She said his death was the result of police action and the use of the controversial Taser gun, which discharges up to 50,000 volts and has been used repeatedly in the north-east. Loan died after a two and a half hour siege at his home.
Police were called to Hartington Street in Barrow at 6.30pm on Tuesday following reports of a man causing a disturbance.
A Taser was used during the arrest and the man later complained of feeling unwell. He was taken to hospital, where he died.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission has been called in.
The man has not been formally identified but was named locally as Dale Burns.
A friend, who did not want to be identified, said: "Dale worked the doors around here at different pubs. He had a girlfriend and two young kids, aged four and two and a half.
"I went to the hospital last night and his mum Donna was there. She didn't know why he had been Tasered or what had happened.
"Apparently he had been Tasered three times.
"Dale was a really good lad, we went to the gym together, he'd been going since he was 15."
A Cumbria police spokesman said: "Neighbourhood police officers attended the scene and arrested a male on suspicion of causing criminal damage and, during the arrest, a Taser was deployed.
"The man became unwell following the arrest and was taken to Furness general hospital by officers.
"At around 9pm the man, who was in his 20s and lived locally, was pronounced dead."
Stan Dewhurst, the owner of Flexappeal gym in Barrow-in-Furness, said: "Dale was a good lad, he worked for me at the gym for five years. He worked as a gym instructor but he would lock up for me and look after things while I was away.
"He entered bodybuilding competitions, regional and national, and was into his sports."
He said Mr Burns had won three gold medals in a judo competition this year. He was "very dedicated and hardworking and was a good dad".
"This year he entered a judo competition and won three gold medals. Today was his daughter's fourth birthday."
It is believed Mr Burns was in his flat on Hartington Street when the police were called, and that there were no others present in the flat.
The last person in Britain to die after being Tasered was Brian Loan, 47, from Sacriston, County Durham, in October 2006. An inquest into his death ruled he had died of heart problems.
But his sister, Barbara Hodgson, said the father-of-seven was in good health, ate well, took regular exercise and had never complained of chest pains.
She said his death was the result of police action and the use of the controversial Taser gun, which discharges up to 50,000 volts and has been used repeatedly in the north-east. Loan died after a two and a half hour siege at his home.
Australia claims steroid seizures at an all time high.
Steroid abuse by everyday gym users is skyrocketing with thousands of people caught trying to import the drugs each year.
The amount of steroids being smuggled into the country at airports and through the postal system has more than doubled in the past five years, according to Customs figures.
Customs made 2695 seizures of steroids and growth hormones in the year to July 2010, a 155 per cent increase on the 1054 seizures made in 2004-05.
An explosion of websites selling the drugs with claims of "discrete (sic) shipping" and "no customs" is behind the rise as amateur body builders seek to exploit countries with lax drug regulations.
"The majority of performance-enhancing drugs are detected at the international mail gateways and are generally from internet sites located in overseas jurisdictions which do not exercise the same controls as Australia," a Customs spokesperson said.
Most of the drugs seized are being imported from the US, Thailand, Hong Kong, Bulgaria, China and the UK, Customs said.
The amount of steroids being smuggled into the country at airports and through the postal system has more than doubled in the past five years, according to Customs figures.
Customs made 2695 seizures of steroids and growth hormones in the year to July 2010, a 155 per cent increase on the 1054 seizures made in 2004-05.
An explosion of websites selling the drugs with claims of "discrete (sic) shipping" and "no customs" is behind the rise as amateur body builders seek to exploit countries with lax drug regulations.
"The majority of performance-enhancing drugs are detected at the international mail gateways and are generally from internet sites located in overseas jurisdictions which do not exercise the same controls as Australia," a Customs spokesperson said.
Most of the drugs seized are being imported from the US, Thailand, Hong Kong, Bulgaria, China and the UK, Customs said.
Spanish dealers have sentences reduced.
The sentence of a doctor, two pharmacists and a sportsman has been reduced to eight-months in prison for crimes against public health in Alicante between mid-2008 and early 2009.
They illegally supplied anabolic steroids to athletes that should have only been sold by prescription and for specific therapeutic purposes.
They have also been banned from practising their professions for two-years and two-months and a fine of €1,260 each.
Prior to the appeal, the three professionals had been previously sentenced to one-year and four-months in prison and a €2,340 fine as well as a three-year and seven-month ban from practising their professions.
They illegally supplied anabolic steroids to athletes that should have only been sold by prescription and for specific therapeutic purposes.
They have also been banned from practising their professions for two-years and two-months and a fine of €1,260 each.
Prior to the appeal, the three professionals had been previously sentenced to one-year and four-months in prison and a €2,340 fine as well as a three-year and seven-month ban from practising their professions.
Sad news as Australian bodybuilder "Zyzz" dies from heart attack whilst on Thai vacation.
( I suspect smoking cigarettes, dehydration and possibly stimulant use to blame rather than steroids. )
Link to the most comprehensive coverage of this sad story :-
http://twocountriesonecistern.blogspot.com/2011/08/pumping-idiocy-short-life-and-strange.html
Link to the most comprehensive coverage of this sad story :-
http://twocountriesonecistern.blogspot.com/2011/08/pumping-idiocy-short-life-and-strange.html
German researchers declare testosterone based male birth control a bust due to 10% failure rate.
An international trial of a male birth control injection has failed due to its serious side effects, the professors overseeing the German implementation of the test announced Monday.
The trial, conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO) and CONRAD, a non-profit organization aimed at improving reproductive health, began late 2009 and involved 400 people in eight countries.
'The study was ended in March, because the injection does not work in its current composition,' said Michael Zitzmann of the University of Muenster, in northern Germany.
One in ten men experienced side-effects including depression, weight gain, increased libido and acne. The older the trial person, the worse the symptoms were. These side-effects had not emerged in earlier national tests of the drug.
'It worked for 90 per cent of the men, but a 10-per-cent (failure), that is simply too much,' Zitzmann said.
The trial involved men aged 18 to 45, including around 100 in Germany, living in a long-term partnership with women who had also agreed to the study.
'The expectations were not met,' said Hermann Behre of the University Clinic in Halle, eastern Germany. The complete trial results are due to be presented in October, he said.
'But we can already assume that it will not work in this form,' Bahre added.
Every eight weeks the men were given a testosterone injection, consisting of drugs that are already used to treat other conditions.
The injections stopped the men from producing testosterone, with the consequence that they also stopped making sperm.
'We need to start from scratch, the result is open,' said Zitzmann. He did not think that a male contraceptive injection would be marketable in the next five years.
The pharmaceuticals industry has shown similar scepticism. A research project into male hormone injections by Schering, which first marketed the female contraceptive pill, was ended when they were taken over by Bayer in 2007.
'In the next 10 to 15 years there are no market opportunities for this,' said Friederike Lorenzen of Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals in Berlin.
The German association of Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies VFA says their 43 members are not investigating male contraceptives.
Nevertheless, Behre said success for male contraceptive injections was closer than many thought.
'In China, this kind of testosterone injection was tested successfully on more than 1,000 men. We have had the results since 2009,' he said.
Male contraceptives were not aimed at replacing the female pill, Behre added. Rather, they would enable couples to share the responsibility of birth control. 10
The trial, conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO) and CONRAD, a non-profit organization aimed at improving reproductive health, began late 2009 and involved 400 people in eight countries.
'The study was ended in March, because the injection does not work in its current composition,' said Michael Zitzmann of the University of Muenster, in northern Germany.
One in ten men experienced side-effects including depression, weight gain, increased libido and acne. The older the trial person, the worse the symptoms were. These side-effects had not emerged in earlier national tests of the drug.
'It worked for 90 per cent of the men, but a 10-per-cent (failure), that is simply too much,' Zitzmann said.
The trial involved men aged 18 to 45, including around 100 in Germany, living in a long-term partnership with women who had also agreed to the study.
'The expectations were not met,' said Hermann Behre of the University Clinic in Halle, eastern Germany. The complete trial results are due to be presented in October, he said.
'But we can already assume that it will not work in this form,' Bahre added.
Every eight weeks the men were given a testosterone injection, consisting of drugs that are already used to treat other conditions.
The injections stopped the men from producing testosterone, with the consequence that they also stopped making sperm.
'We need to start from scratch, the result is open,' said Zitzmann. He did not think that a male contraceptive injection would be marketable in the next five years.
The pharmaceuticals industry has shown similar scepticism. A research project into male hormone injections by Schering, which first marketed the female contraceptive pill, was ended when they were taken over by Bayer in 2007.
'In the next 10 to 15 years there are no market opportunities for this,' said Friederike Lorenzen of Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals in Berlin.
The German association of Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies VFA says their 43 members are not investigating male contraceptives.
Nevertheless, Behre said success for male contraceptive injections was closer than many thought.
'In China, this kind of testosterone injection was tested successfully on more than 1,000 men. We have had the results since 2009,' he said.
Male contraceptives were not aimed at replacing the female pill, Behre added. Rather, they would enable couples to share the responsibility of birth control. 10
French bodybuilder pleads guilty to running US domestic internet steroid source.
A French bodybuilder appeared in federal court Monday to plead guilty to distributing anabolic steroids supplied from Chinese sources and shipped to Pittsburgh from Tennessee.
Karim Mourahib, 30, a French Moroccan from Le Mans, waived grand jury indictment before Senior U.S. District Judge Donetta Ambrose and admitted to importing injectable steroids and selling them to an undercover Food and Drug Administration agent in Pittsburgh.
Although the case against Mr. Mourahib focused on steroids shipped here, the case against him and other co-conspirators spans the country and is part of a larger investigation by the FDA, the Criminal Investigation Division of the IRS and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
Mr. Mourahib essentially was the salesman for the network, taking orders online through several email addresses and arranging for wire payments to sources in China through Western Union or MoneyGram.
According to an FDA affidavit and a summary of the case recited in court by a federal prosecutor, the steroids were shipped from China to Chattanooga, Tenn., where four men are under investigation in connection with distributing the drugs.
The case against Mr. Mourahib began in April 2010 when Sean Grillo, an FDA agent and former Pittsburgh police officer, contacted an email address used by Mr. Mourahib to sell steroids, according to the affidavit.
A search warrant executed on the email account revealed thousands of messages discussing the distribution of steroids and human grown hormone to customers in Pittsburgh and elsewhere.
Agent Grillo began a correspondence that led to controlled purchases and deliveries to a Pittsburgh undercover address.
Agents traced the shipments to an address in Tennessee, where in July 2010 they set up surveillance and began gathering information on two men suspected of accepting delivery of steroids from China. The men are being investigated but have not been charged.
An IRS agent also tracked the wire payments to China, where the affidavit identifies one of the sources as Tingwin Wang of Shanghai.
Mr. Mourahib, who is not a U.S. citizen, was arrested in Miami in September as he entered the U.S. He is being held in federal custody pending sentencing in November.
Karim Mourahib, 30, a French Moroccan from Le Mans, waived grand jury indictment before Senior U.S. District Judge Donetta Ambrose and admitted to importing injectable steroids and selling them to an undercover Food and Drug Administration agent in Pittsburgh.
Although the case against Mr. Mourahib focused on steroids shipped here, the case against him and other co-conspirators spans the country and is part of a larger investigation by the FDA, the Criminal Investigation Division of the IRS and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
Mr. Mourahib essentially was the salesman for the network, taking orders online through several email addresses and arranging for wire payments to sources in China through Western Union or MoneyGram.
According to an FDA affidavit and a summary of the case recited in court by a federal prosecutor, the steroids were shipped from China to Chattanooga, Tenn., where four men are under investigation in connection with distributing the drugs.
The case against Mr. Mourahib began in April 2010 when Sean Grillo, an FDA agent and former Pittsburgh police officer, contacted an email address used by Mr. Mourahib to sell steroids, according to the affidavit.
A search warrant executed on the email account revealed thousands of messages discussing the distribution of steroids and human grown hormone to customers in Pittsburgh and elsewhere.
Agent Grillo began a correspondence that led to controlled purchases and deliveries to a Pittsburgh undercover address.
Agents traced the shipments to an address in Tennessee, where in July 2010 they set up surveillance and began gathering information on two men suspected of accepting delivery of steroids from China. The men are being investigated but have not been charged.
An IRS agent also tracked the wire payments to China, where the affidavit identifies one of the sources as Tingwin Wang of Shanghai.
Mr. Mourahib, who is not a U.S. citizen, was arrested in Miami in September as he entered the U.S. He is being held in federal custody pending sentencing in November.
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