A fourth conviction for steroid distribution earned an Iowa man 20 months in prison Thursday, making him the first person sentenced of four indicted through a multi-agency investigation.
"I messed up again," Ronald J. Sales, 47, told U.S. District Judge Donetta W. Ambrose.
Mr. Sales served as a middleman for a Ukrainian-directed ring's Chinese-made steroids, of which they distributed tens of thousands of doses. He will forfeit $21,183 that prosecutors said he gained through crime and will be under federal supervision for three years after release.
Paul G. Matthews, a Pittsburgh-area representative of the conspiracy, is to be sentenced Jan. 3.
Ukrainians Oleksandr "Musclebear" Skochyk and Yeveniy Suray were arrested in Cyprus in 2010, extradited and arraigned here in June. Both have pleaded not guilty.
"This was a major operation, an international ring," Judge Ambrose said.
The Drug Enforcement Agency, Food and Drug Administration, Internal Revenue Service, Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Postal Service were involved in the investigation of the ring.
Operation Pangea IV ends claiming 12000 pill pushing sites.
More than £5 million worth of counterfeit and illegal medicines has been seized across the globe as part of a week-long international crackdown on the illicit internet trade in pharmaceuticals.
The operation is the largest internet-targeting enforcement action of its kind with 80 countries participating in this year’s event, almost twice as many as took part in 2010.
Operation Pangea IV ran between 20–27 September and resulted in 55 people being arrested, or placed under investigation, worldwide. It also saw an estimated 13,500 illegal online pharmacy websites being shut down.
Internationally, more than 45,000 packages were inspected by regulators and customs officials resulting in the seizure of approximately 2.5 million doses of unlicensed and counterfeit pills being sold illegally.
Co-ordinated by INTERPOL and carried out with the assistance of police, customs and national medicines regulators, the operation targeted the three main elements misused in the illegal website trade – the internet infrastructure, the electronic payment system and the mail delivery service.
In the United Kingdom, enforcement officers from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), with assistance from local police, arrested 13 people and raided 16 addresses in connection with the illegal internet supply of medicines.
In conjunction with the UK Border Agency, the MHRA seized more than one million doses of illegal medicine worth approximately £2 million, including 52,000 doses of counterfeit pills.
MHRA Acting Head of Enforcement, Nimo Ahmed, said that any online pharmacy that supplies ‘prescription only’ medicine without evidence of a prescription is committing an offence.
“This week we have recovered a range of medicines being supplied without prescriptions and stored in unacceptable conditions by people who are not qualified to dispense medicines. An illegal supplier may be good at setting up a website but that does not make them a pharmacist.
“When you buy medicines from an unregulated source you don’t know what you’re getting, where it came from or if it’s safe to take,” he said. “The dose could be too high or too low, or the ingredients could break down incorrectly in the body which makes the medicine ineffective.
“Illegal suppliers do not adhere to quality control or standards that are required in the licensed trade. If people could see the filthy conditions some of these medicines are being made, stored and transported in, they certainly wouldn’t touch them.
“Don’t be tempted by cut price medicines and promises of ‘next day delivery’. Taking short cuts could expose you to a dangerous counterfeit or substandard medicine, or you could be the victim of identity theft or credit card fraud.
“The bottom line is that there are no quick fixes when it comes to your health. Take the time to see your GP to identify the cause of your symptoms. You are more likely to get better faster if you are on the correct course of prescribed medication.”
Working alongside the MHRA, the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) Police Central eCrime Unit (PCeU) also took action to combat those profiting from the unlawful sale and distribution of pharmaceuticals online.
More than 12,000 generic top level domains and sub domains have been suspended and they have requested a further 500 domain names on the UK domain tree be shut down.
Specifically, in support of Operation Pangea, the PCeU has also identified web pages being used by persons to unlawfully offer to supply unlicensed and counterfeit pharmaceuticals, targeting the UK general public. Approximately 600 web pages have been suspended in response to PCeU requests made to internet market places and social media sites.
Detective Superintendent Charlie McMurdie, said, "This action is being taken as part of our continuing efforts to reduce the harm caused to the UK economy and to UK citizens by those making use of the internet to commit crime.
“We support the MHRA’s International Internet Week of Action and appreciate the steps taken by others to support our efforts."
UKBA Senior Operations Manager - Coventry International Hub, Chris Bagley, said, “The massive haul detected by our officers during this week of action makes it clear just how seriously we take the smuggling of fake and unlicensed medicines.
The operation is the largest internet-targeting enforcement action of its kind with 80 countries participating in this year’s event, almost twice as many as took part in 2010.
Operation Pangea IV ran between 20–27 September and resulted in 55 people being arrested, or placed under investigation, worldwide. It also saw an estimated 13,500 illegal online pharmacy websites being shut down.
Internationally, more than 45,000 packages were inspected by regulators and customs officials resulting in the seizure of approximately 2.5 million doses of unlicensed and counterfeit pills being sold illegally.
Co-ordinated by INTERPOL and carried out with the assistance of police, customs and national medicines regulators, the operation targeted the three main elements misused in the illegal website trade – the internet infrastructure, the electronic payment system and the mail delivery service.
In the United Kingdom, enforcement officers from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), with assistance from local police, arrested 13 people and raided 16 addresses in connection with the illegal internet supply of medicines.
In conjunction with the UK Border Agency, the MHRA seized more than one million doses of illegal medicine worth approximately £2 million, including 52,000 doses of counterfeit pills.
MHRA Acting Head of Enforcement, Nimo Ahmed, said that any online pharmacy that supplies ‘prescription only’ medicine without evidence of a prescription is committing an offence.
“This week we have recovered a range of medicines being supplied without prescriptions and stored in unacceptable conditions by people who are not qualified to dispense medicines. An illegal supplier may be good at setting up a website but that does not make them a pharmacist.
“When you buy medicines from an unregulated source you don’t know what you’re getting, where it came from or if it’s safe to take,” he said. “The dose could be too high or too low, or the ingredients could break down incorrectly in the body which makes the medicine ineffective.
“Illegal suppliers do not adhere to quality control or standards that are required in the licensed trade. If people could see the filthy conditions some of these medicines are being made, stored and transported in, they certainly wouldn’t touch them.
“Don’t be tempted by cut price medicines and promises of ‘next day delivery’. Taking short cuts could expose you to a dangerous counterfeit or substandard medicine, or you could be the victim of identity theft or credit card fraud.
“The bottom line is that there are no quick fixes when it comes to your health. Take the time to see your GP to identify the cause of your symptoms. You are more likely to get better faster if you are on the correct course of prescribed medication.”
Working alongside the MHRA, the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) Police Central eCrime Unit (PCeU) also took action to combat those profiting from the unlawful sale and distribution of pharmaceuticals online.
More than 12,000 generic top level domains and sub domains have been suspended and they have requested a further 500 domain names on the UK domain tree be shut down.
Specifically, in support of Operation Pangea, the PCeU has also identified web pages being used by persons to unlawfully offer to supply unlicensed and counterfeit pharmaceuticals, targeting the UK general public. Approximately 600 web pages have been suspended in response to PCeU requests made to internet market places and social media sites.
Detective Superintendent Charlie McMurdie, said, "This action is being taken as part of our continuing efforts to reduce the harm caused to the UK economy and to UK citizens by those making use of the internet to commit crime.
“We support the MHRA’s International Internet Week of Action and appreciate the steps taken by others to support our efforts."
UKBA Senior Operations Manager - Coventry International Hub, Chris Bagley, said, “The massive haul detected by our officers during this week of action makes it clear just how seriously we take the smuggling of fake and unlicensed medicines.
Jailed man's family in trouble for disposing of his steroid stash.
A Manchester man, his girlfriend and his mother are all facing drug charges after a call made from prison.
Police said Paul Dipietro called his girlfriend Julie Paivia telling her to get rid of steroids that were in their apartment.
That call was recorded.
Police said Paivia and Dipietro's mom dumped the steroids on the side of the road.
Some of the drugs were recovered from the road and more pills were recovered in the couples apartment.
All three are facing a number of drug charges.
Police said Paul Dipietro called his girlfriend Julie Paivia telling her to get rid of steroids that were in their apartment.
That call was recorded.
Police said Paivia and Dipietro's mom dumped the steroids on the side of the road.
Some of the drugs were recovered from the road and more pills were recovered in the couples apartment.
All three are facing a number of drug charges.
New study appears to show that high body fat in men is not a cause of low testosterone.
It's not estrogen produced by body fat that causes low levels of testosterone in type 2 diabetic men, according to a University at Buffalo study published last month in Diabetes Care.
Instead, the mechanism responsible for low levels of certain sex hormones in type 2 diabetic men is more complicated than originally thought, which will have implications for the development of effective treatments. The UB researchers suggest that, based on their findings, the mechanism likely originates in the hypothalamus, the part of the brain that controls hormones influencing appetite, sleep, moods and sex drive.
In 2004, the UB researchers first identified this syndrome of hypogonadism (low testosterone) in a third of type 2 diabetic men that they studied.
At the time, the conventional wisdom was that an enzyme expressed by body fat is increased in obese people, explains lead author Sandeep Dhindsa, MD, assistant professor of medicine in the UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and senior author Paresh Dandona, MD, UB Distinguished Professor of Medicine.
"It was thought that that enzyme, in turn, increased estradiol levels in the blood, which led to suppressed testosterone levels," says Dandona.
But the connection may not be all that simple, partly because not all type 2 diabetics are obese, Dandona says.
Their current study, which included both obese and non-obese type 2 diabetic men, revealed that estradiol levels in 240 subjects with low testosterone were lower, not higher, than normal levels.
"Low testostone levels as well as low estradiol levels, which we saw in this study, both probably contribute to the markedly increased risk of cardiovascular mortality in type 2 diabetics," he says.
The UB researchers established the estradiol levels using a classical measurement method and a state-of-the-art tandem mass spectrometry measurement.
"These data establish unequivocally that elevated estradiol concentrations are not the cause of this hypogonadism syndrome," says Dandona. "We now need to look for other mechanisms for the rational understanding and treatment of this syndrome so that we can unravel the mysterious mechanisms underlying this important cause of male hypogonadism (low testosterone) and potential infertility."
Dandona and his UB colleagues have extended these observations to non-diabetic, obese adults and obese children, between the ages of 15 and 20, a quarter of whom have a similar problem with low testosterone levels.
"Low testosterone levels affect a third of male type 2 diabetics, of which there are roughly ten million in this country," says Dandona. "If we can elucidate the specific underlying mechanism, we can develop a rational treatment for this condition."
Instead, the mechanism responsible for low levels of certain sex hormones in type 2 diabetic men is more complicated than originally thought, which will have implications for the development of effective treatments. The UB researchers suggest that, based on their findings, the mechanism likely originates in the hypothalamus, the part of the brain that controls hormones influencing appetite, sleep, moods and sex drive.
In 2004, the UB researchers first identified this syndrome of hypogonadism (low testosterone) in a third of type 2 diabetic men that they studied.
At the time, the conventional wisdom was that an enzyme expressed by body fat is increased in obese people, explains lead author Sandeep Dhindsa, MD, assistant professor of medicine in the UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and senior author Paresh Dandona, MD, UB Distinguished Professor of Medicine.
"It was thought that that enzyme, in turn, increased estradiol levels in the blood, which led to suppressed testosterone levels," says Dandona.
But the connection may not be all that simple, partly because not all type 2 diabetics are obese, Dandona says.
Their current study, which included both obese and non-obese type 2 diabetic men, revealed that estradiol levels in 240 subjects with low testosterone were lower, not higher, than normal levels.
"Low testostone levels as well as low estradiol levels, which we saw in this study, both probably contribute to the markedly increased risk of cardiovascular mortality in type 2 diabetics," he says.
The UB researchers established the estradiol levels using a classical measurement method and a state-of-the-art tandem mass spectrometry measurement.
"These data establish unequivocally that elevated estradiol concentrations are not the cause of this hypogonadism syndrome," says Dandona. "We now need to look for other mechanisms for the rational understanding and treatment of this syndrome so that we can unravel the mysterious mechanisms underlying this important cause of male hypogonadism (low testosterone) and potential infertility."
Dandona and his UB colleagues have extended these observations to non-diabetic, obese adults and obese children, between the ages of 15 and 20, a quarter of whom have a similar problem with low testosterone levels.
"Low testosterone levels affect a third of male type 2 diabetics, of which there are roughly ten million in this country," says Dandona. "If we can elucidate the specific underlying mechanism, we can develop a rational treatment for this condition."
Man caught smuggling steroids into India.
Air Customs intelligence wing at the Kochi international airport seized two cartons containing 276 plastic containers of capsules and steroids from Abdul Majeed,41, who arrived at the airport from Sharjah on Sunday.
In all, 120 capsules were there in each plastic container. The capsules are used for reducing body weight in humans. There were 30 steroid packets. All containers had a label that they should not be used in animals. But the Customs officials doubt that in order to increase the weight of the animals consumed by humans, steroids are usually used and the seized steroids were also intended for the same purpose, a Customs official said.
Customs sources said the meat of the animals which are administered with steroids are hazardous to human beings. On questioning, Abdul Majeed revealed that he was instructed to contact a mobile number and hand over the consignment after reaching the Kochi airport. “The passenger was only a carrier,” said C Madhavan, Customs Deputy Commissioner. The efforts of the Customs officials to trace the owner of the mobile phone turned futile.
Customs sources said the contact person would have been waiting outside and he might have escaped after his accomplice was caught by the Customs.According to the Customs wing, the seized items are worth `4.96 lakh.
In all, 120 capsules were there in each plastic container. The capsules are used for reducing body weight in humans. There were 30 steroid packets. All containers had a label that they should not be used in animals. But the Customs officials doubt that in order to increase the weight of the animals consumed by humans, steroids are usually used and the seized steroids were also intended for the same purpose, a Customs official said.
Customs sources said the meat of the animals which are administered with steroids are hazardous to human beings. On questioning, Abdul Majeed revealed that he was instructed to contact a mobile number and hand over the consignment after reaching the Kochi airport. “The passenger was only a carrier,” said C Madhavan, Customs Deputy Commissioner. The efforts of the Customs officials to trace the owner of the mobile phone turned futile.
Customs sources said the contact person would have been waiting outside and he might have escaped after his accomplice was caught by the Customs.According to the Customs wing, the seized items are worth `4.96 lakh.
Large underground lab busted with steroid powders sent from Shanghai.
A Danville man has been charged after authorities say he operated a business in Blairs that sold steroids online that were shipped from China.
Pittsylvania County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Steven Donald Wood, 33, of 4013 Pittwood Drive in Danville, on Sept. 15. Wood faces two counts of distributing anabolic steroids and five counts of money laundering in connection with the operation located at 3801 U.S. 29 in Blairs.
The arrest came after investigators from the sheriff’s office and agents from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security carried out a search warrant on the business on Sept. 14.
According to a report from Pittsylvania County Sheriff’s Investigator Robert Worsham, Wood ran the business, which received shipments of raw powdered anabolic steroids from Shanghai.
Wood then had individuals — one an informant — ship the raw steroids to a packaging facility in North Carolina, where the powder was processed into capsules, according to Worsham’s complaint. They were then transported back to the business, where they were packaged in supplement bottles and sold online.
The informant also provided authorities with detailed financial records, Worsham said in the complaint. That person maintained more than one checking account in the informant’s name on behalf of Wood, according to the complaint.
Wood would have the informant run large amounts of money through the accounts on his behalf, with many transactions totaling more than $40,000, Worsham said in his complaint. Wood had started a corporation, BGW LLC, and used it to funnel money from the steroid sales.
Authorities — acting on information obtained by the Department of Homeland Security — intercepted a “multi-pound shipment” of steroids being returned to the business in Blairs, Worsham said in his complaint.
“Prior to the interception, Steven Wood arrived to observe this delivery, and he was found to have approximately $300,000 … in the vehicle he arrived on,” Worsham stated in the complaint.
Investigators found several hundred pounds of anabolic steroids at the business, in raw and pill form.
Wood is being held in Pittsylvania County Jail under a $1 million bond. The Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office has appealed the bond and a bond appeal hearing is scheduled for 2 p.m. Sept. 29. A preliminary hearing will be held at 1 p.m. Dec. 5.
Pittsylvania County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Steven Donald Wood, 33, of 4013 Pittwood Drive in Danville, on Sept. 15. Wood faces two counts of distributing anabolic steroids and five counts of money laundering in connection with the operation located at 3801 U.S. 29 in Blairs.
The arrest came after investigators from the sheriff’s office and agents from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security carried out a search warrant on the business on Sept. 14.
According to a report from Pittsylvania County Sheriff’s Investigator Robert Worsham, Wood ran the business, which received shipments of raw powdered anabolic steroids from Shanghai.
Wood then had individuals — one an informant — ship the raw steroids to a packaging facility in North Carolina, where the powder was processed into capsules, according to Worsham’s complaint. They were then transported back to the business, where they were packaged in supplement bottles and sold online.
The informant also provided authorities with detailed financial records, Worsham said in the complaint. That person maintained more than one checking account in the informant’s name on behalf of Wood, according to the complaint.
Wood would have the informant run large amounts of money through the accounts on his behalf, with many transactions totaling more than $40,000, Worsham said in his complaint. Wood had started a corporation, BGW LLC, and used it to funnel money from the steroid sales.
Authorities — acting on information obtained by the Department of Homeland Security — intercepted a “multi-pound shipment” of steroids being returned to the business in Blairs, Worsham said in his complaint.
“Prior to the interception, Steven Wood arrived to observe this delivery, and he was found to have approximately $300,000 … in the vehicle he arrived on,” Worsham stated in the complaint.
Investigators found several hundred pounds of anabolic steroids at the business, in raw and pill form.
Wood is being held in Pittsylvania County Jail under a $1 million bond. The Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office has appealed the bond and a bond appeal hearing is scheduled for 2 p.m. Sept. 29. A preliminary hearing will be held at 1 p.m. Dec. 5.
Texas underground steroid lab owner busted.
Montgomery County investigators have arrested a man on Sawdust Road on charges of having 50 grams of steroids.
James Joseph Harnett, 30, is being held in connection with possession of a controlled substance. The Montgomery County sheriff’s office Special Investigations Unit served a search warrant at about 11:15 a.m., Thursday at his apartment in the 2100 block of Sawdust.
The arrest was part of an ongoing investigation into the local manufacturing and distribution of Testosterone and other illegal growth hormones in Montgomery and Harris counties. Investigators found laboratory glassware and other components along with several pounds of powered and liquid growth hormones.
Harnett is accused of having about 50 grams of illegal growth hormones along with numerous vials and counterfeit labels.
A South County man called one “target” in a continuing drug investigation is now in the Montgomery County Jail on charges of possessing steroids to sell to bodybuilders, officials said.
James Joseph Hartnett, 30, of Spring, is being held on no bond on charges of third-degree and second-degree felony possession of a controlled substance after his arrest Thursday morning by members of the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office Special Investigations Unit.
SWAT members served a search warrant around 11:15 a.m. at a home in the 2100 block of Sawdust Road as part of the investigation targeting the manufacture and distribution of illegal human growth steroids and Montgomery and Harris counties.
“He’s one of the targets,” Lt. Phillip Cash, who heads the SIU, said of Hartnett. “We suspect him to be trafficking and a known associate of other targets.”
The apartment where Hartnett was arrested is located in a school zone, enhancing Hartnett’s charges because of the possession of controlled substances in a drug-free zone, Cash said.
The SIU arrested Woodlands resident Matthew Emilio Montano, 29, earlier this month and charged him with manufacturing illegal human growth hormone.
As in Montano’s arrest, SWAT members seized equipment and other components, including glass vials containing approximately 50 grams of suspected testosterone and other illegal growth hormones, along with numerous empty vials and counterfeit pharmaceutical labels used in the sale of the substances, Cash said.
The chemicals, which have an estimated street value of “several thousand dollars,” Cash said, have been sent to the Texas Department of Public Safety’s laboratory for analysis.
Members of the suspected drug ring allegedly sell the illegal steroids to bodybuilders “wanting to cheat the system,” Cash said.
Hartnett’s occupation is listed as a personal trainer.
Tips from parents of high school and college students who train at area gyms are helpful in the ongoing investigation, Cash said.
“It’s not over yet,” he said. “We like the tips. Keep those tips coming.”
Gym instructor indicted over Lifetime Wellness "steroids on prescription" website.
Local fitness trainer Scott Lofquist was indicted Thursday for conspiring with a Maryland doctor to sell more than $1.3 million worth of anabolic steroids.
One look at Lofquist's website and anyone can tell that, at 51, he is fit. In fact, the former Olympian has made fitness his business. He co-owns Pilates1901 at 43rd Avenue and State Line Road and he trains at a CrossFit studio in the Crossroads.
The business that got him in trouble, though, is Lifetime Wellness LLC. The website promotes "hormone therapy" and "testosterone therapy" not for body building, but to reduce the signs of aging. It was through that business that the federal indictment alleges Lofquist sold anabolic steroids and synthetic growth hormones for non-medically approved reasons. Lofquist was the owner of Lifetime Wellness LLC at the time. The indictment alleges that he and a partner, who is not indicted, sold 1.2 million units of various anabolic steroids at a retail value of $1.3 million between June 1, 2008 and March 30, 2010.
The ending date marks Lofquist's arrest for a federal indictment in Florida involving the same company and similar allegations.
When KCTV5's Betsy Webster visited his studio on State Line Road on Thursday, she found him training a client and unaware that an indictment had been returned. He did not want to comment on the Missouri federal case but volunteered information on the Florida one. He said he left Lifetime Wellness then and has had no involvement with them or any company connected to them since.
Lofquist said he's currently on probation from the 2010 conviction. Clients Webster met didn't want to comment on camera nor did Lofquist, but Webster said he appeared disturbed to find out what he thought was behind him had come up again.
The specific counts in the indictment reference four transactions on two dates, both of them in 2009.
One look at Lofquist's website and anyone can tell that, at 51, he is fit. In fact, the former Olympian has made fitness his business. He co-owns Pilates1901 at 43rd Avenue and State Line Road and he trains at a CrossFit studio in the Crossroads.
The business that got him in trouble, though, is Lifetime Wellness LLC. The website promotes "hormone therapy" and "testosterone therapy" not for body building, but to reduce the signs of aging. It was through that business that the federal indictment alleges Lofquist sold anabolic steroids and synthetic growth hormones for non-medically approved reasons. Lofquist was the owner of Lifetime Wellness LLC at the time. The indictment alleges that he and a partner, who is not indicted, sold 1.2 million units of various anabolic steroids at a retail value of $1.3 million between June 1, 2008 and March 30, 2010.
The ending date marks Lofquist's arrest for a federal indictment in Florida involving the same company and similar allegations.
When KCTV5's Betsy Webster visited his studio on State Line Road on Thursday, she found him training a client and unaware that an indictment had been returned. He did not want to comment on the Missouri federal case but volunteered information on the Florida one. He said he left Lifetime Wellness then and has had no involvement with them or any company connected to them since.
Lofquist said he's currently on probation from the 2010 conviction. Clients Webster met didn't want to comment on camera nor did Lofquist, but Webster said he appeared disturbed to find out what he thought was behind him had come up again.
The specific counts in the indictment reference four transactions on two dates, both of them in 2009.
Domestic UG lab busted.
Pittsylvania County Sheriff's Office last week arrested a county man accused of selling anabolic steroids from China over the Internet.
Steven Donald Wood of 4013 Pittwood Drive, Danville, faces five charges of money laundering and two charges of distributing anabolic steroids.
Wood, 33, was arrested early Thursday morning when county officers and federal agents with the Department of Homeland Security searched his business at 3801 U.S. 29 in Blairs, according to arrest warrants.
Wood allegedly received raw powder anabolic steroids from Shanghai, China, according to documents filed in Pittsylvania County General District Court.
Steven Donald Wood of 4013 Pittwood Drive, Danville, faces five charges of money laundering and two charges of distributing anabolic steroids.
Wood, 33, was arrested early Thursday morning when county officers and federal agents with the Department of Homeland Security searched his business at 3801 U.S. 29 in Blairs, according to arrest warrants.
Wood allegedly received raw powder anabolic steroids from Shanghai, China, according to documents filed in Pittsylvania County General District Court.
New British court case appears to show that personal use of anabolic steroids is still legal in the UK.
( We're of course presuming he didn't produce a prescription for Winstrol shots or tabs in court. )
A police officer and former Mr Gay UK, who was cleared of raping a man in June, has had the remaining charges against him dropped.
PC Mark Carter, 28, was due to face trial later this year on separate charges of possessing the anabolic steroid stanozolol.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said it was satisfied Mr Carter's use of the drug was for medicinal purposes.
Pc Carter, from Bradford, remains suspended by West Yorkshire Police.
Peter Mann, head of West Yorkshire CPS's complex casework unit, said: "Having carefully considered expert evidence, we are satisfied that Mr Carter's use of the drugs was for a medicinal purpose within the terms of the Medicines Act 1968."
Pc Carter went on trial at Leeds Crown Court earlier this year charged with sexually assaulting three men and raping a fourth while on a Christmas night out with colleagues.
He was cleared of two rape charges and two sexual assault charges but the jury failed to reach a verdict on another sexual assault charge and this was not proceeded with.
When he gave evidence in the trial, the officer described the "devastating" impact the allegations of rape and sexual assault had on his life.
A West Yorkshire Police spokesman said Pc Carter remains suspended.
He added: "This case involves an allegation relating to the possession of steroids. A decision regarding disciplinary action remains under consideration."
A police officer and former Mr Gay UK, who was cleared of raping a man in June, has had the remaining charges against him dropped.
PC Mark Carter, 28, was due to face trial later this year on separate charges of possessing the anabolic steroid stanozolol.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said it was satisfied Mr Carter's use of the drug was for medicinal purposes.
Pc Carter, from Bradford, remains suspended by West Yorkshire Police.
Peter Mann, head of West Yorkshire CPS's complex casework unit, said: "Having carefully considered expert evidence, we are satisfied that Mr Carter's use of the drugs was for a medicinal purpose within the terms of the Medicines Act 1968."
Pc Carter went on trial at Leeds Crown Court earlier this year charged with sexually assaulting three men and raping a fourth while on a Christmas night out with colleagues.
He was cleared of two rape charges and two sexual assault charges but the jury failed to reach a verdict on another sexual assault charge and this was not proceeded with.
When he gave evidence in the trial, the officer described the "devastating" impact the allegations of rape and sexual assault had on his life.
A West Yorkshire Police spokesman said Pc Carter remains suspended.
He added: "This case involves an allegation relating to the possession of steroids. A decision regarding disciplinary action remains under consideration."
Indian athletes' nutritional supplements contained Dianabol and Winstrol ?
Contrary to earlier indications, one of the supplements the female 400m runners reportedly consumed had turned up ‘positive' for not just one, but two steroids.
The steroids reported by the National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL) were methandienone and stanozolol, both at the centre of the doping scandal that shook Indian athletics prior to the Asian championships in Kobe, Japan last July.
The presence of these two steroids in the supplement sample, claimed to have been “seized” from the athletes or submitted by the athletes, may help the six quartermilers in their defence against the doping charges they are facing.
At the same time, it does raise several important questions that could affect the cases. All six athletes, Mandeep Kaur, A.C. Ashwini, Sini Jose, Jauna Murmu, Priyanka Panwar and Tiana Mary Thomas, had tested positive for methandienone while only two of them — Mandeep and Tiana — had turned in a stanozolol ‘positive'.
If it could be established that the ‘positive' tests for methandienone and stanozolol for Mandeep and Tiana had come from a particular supplement then it would be difficult to prove that four other athletes who might also have consumed the same supplement returned ‘positive' tests only for methandienone.
Unless of course another supplement was submitted and had tested ‘positive' for just methandienone and it could be proved that four of the athletes somehow did not get their quota from the same batch as Mandeep and Tiana and they were given only the one containing methandienone!
Or else, the defence may be able to argue that the women had started taking the supplement in question on different dates and by the time the four were tested, the traces of stanozolol might have been washed out of the system while that of methandienone had remained.
Stanozolol, in oral and injection form, is eliminated from the bodily fluids faster than methandienone.
There is no certainty about how many supplement samples were tested, but it is learnt at least six were tested initially. There was also mention of a seventh recently.
Sources said two samples of ginseng, one ‘seized' by the Sports Authority of India (SAI) or submitted to the Justice Mudgal Committee, and one provided by Priyanka, had turned in ‘positive' tests.
The SAI submitted a report of the tests done by the NDTL to the NADA to be placed before the disciplinary panel and it was taken on record last Wednesday by the panel chairman, retired judge Dinesh Dayal. Since the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA), which has brought forward these cases, had not been consulted at the time of testing of supplements and it does not have any idea about which agency “seized” the supplements samples, the mystery may be solved only when the case resumes on October 5.
The prosecution was caught unawares last Wednesday when the report about the supplements was brought up. Neither the NADA nor its lawyers had any idea about the person or persons who submitted these supplements, from whom these were “seized” or the period during which these were taken into custody.
Significantly, the principal defence lawyer, R.K. Anand, seemed to be in no hurry to get a copy of the report.
The steroids reported by the National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL) were methandienone and stanozolol, both at the centre of the doping scandal that shook Indian athletics prior to the Asian championships in Kobe, Japan last July.
The presence of these two steroids in the supplement sample, claimed to have been “seized” from the athletes or submitted by the athletes, may help the six quartermilers in their defence against the doping charges they are facing.
At the same time, it does raise several important questions that could affect the cases. All six athletes, Mandeep Kaur, A.C. Ashwini, Sini Jose, Jauna Murmu, Priyanka Panwar and Tiana Mary Thomas, had tested positive for methandienone while only two of them — Mandeep and Tiana — had turned in a stanozolol ‘positive'.
If it could be established that the ‘positive' tests for methandienone and stanozolol for Mandeep and Tiana had come from a particular supplement then it would be difficult to prove that four other athletes who might also have consumed the same supplement returned ‘positive' tests only for methandienone.
Unless of course another supplement was submitted and had tested ‘positive' for just methandienone and it could be proved that four of the athletes somehow did not get their quota from the same batch as Mandeep and Tiana and they were given only the one containing methandienone!
Or else, the defence may be able to argue that the women had started taking the supplement in question on different dates and by the time the four were tested, the traces of stanozolol might have been washed out of the system while that of methandienone had remained.
Stanozolol, in oral and injection form, is eliminated from the bodily fluids faster than methandienone.
There is no certainty about how many supplement samples were tested, but it is learnt at least six were tested initially. There was also mention of a seventh recently.
Sources said two samples of ginseng, one ‘seized' by the Sports Authority of India (SAI) or submitted to the Justice Mudgal Committee, and one provided by Priyanka, had turned in ‘positive' tests.
The SAI submitted a report of the tests done by the NDTL to the NADA to be placed before the disciplinary panel and it was taken on record last Wednesday by the panel chairman, retired judge Dinesh Dayal. Since the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA), which has brought forward these cases, had not been consulted at the time of testing of supplements and it does not have any idea about which agency “seized” the supplements samples, the mystery may be solved only when the case resumes on October 5.
The prosecution was caught unawares last Wednesday when the report about the supplements was brought up. Neither the NADA nor its lawyers had any idea about the person or persons who submitted these supplements, from whom these were “seized” or the period during which these were taken into custody.
Significantly, the principal defence lawyer, R.K. Anand, seemed to be in no hurry to get a copy of the report.
Hour long BBC radio show on steroids called "Becoming Superman".
Looks like the BBC's IPlayer finally allows listeners from outside the UK.
Show includes interviews with an "abused" bodybuilder using 4g a week with every side effect under the sun who claims he can't come off for fear of losing his muscles and the parents of deceased teen Matthew Dear ( killed by Dianabol three and a half weeks into his cycle but medical experts have no idea exactly how other than claiming it was a fatal reaction ? ).
Overall as far as anti-steroid propanganda goes this isn't too bad and their doping experts do at least admit personal use is stil LEGAL in the UK :-)
Show link Becoming Superman : The history of steroids
Canadian steroid dealer asks judge to give him a break.
A Maugerville man who pleaded guilty to two counts of trafficking steroids and 10 counts of conspiracy to traffic steroids told a judge Monday he isn't a professional criminal.
"I'm an intelligent man who did a stupid thing," said 36-year-old Spencer Gordon Court.
"I'm here to take my punishment ... There's no question what I did was wrong."
But he also asked Judge Julian Dickson for a conditional sentence so he could continue to operate his legal fitness business.
The court was told he has six employees, but the business will close if he's sent to jail.
"I'm running a clear show - crystal clear," said Court.
He also said he's paying voluntary child support for his two-year-old daughter.
Court said he was working hard and running a successful fitness business prior to his arrest.
But he said he made the mistake of being too flashy with his money and began to attract the wrong crowd to his gym.
"I was consumed by the fame," said the former member of the Canadian Forces, a tall, broad-shouldered man with a closely-shaved head.
He said people in his gym began asking him for steroids to help them grow muscle mass fast.
Defence lawyer William Stephenson earlier told the court his client first started using steroids in 2000 when he was in the military and was looking for an edge when weightlifting.
Court said he began selling steroids in his gym even though he made little profit from it compared to his legitimate business.
He said he hated other illegal drugs, and he can be heard saying that in police wire taps.
But he said he considered steroids to be a grey area when it came to breaking the law.
That changed when his business and home were raided by police in 2007.
"It was scary ... It was a big wake-up call," Court said.
"The big lesson is there's no grey in the law."
Court said since 2007 he has worked hard to re-establish his business and reported in regularly with the police.
He said he's lost a lot of friends and suffered public ridicule.
"I took a media beating," he said.
He said his business has suffered and while he continued to pay his employees, at times he didn't have anything to eat.
But he also said he wasn't asking for pity.
Stephenson said steroids aren't as dangerous as heroin or cocaine.
"They're at the bottom of the serious totem pole," he said.
The defence lawyer said Court sold only to people who approached him, never sold to anyone underage and didn't sell on a large scale.
He said that huge amounts of money weren't involved. For example, 10 bottles of 100 tablets each of a steroid was worth only $4,000.
"It sounds a lot worse that it is," he said.
Stephenson said this is Court's first offence and he isn't a danger to the public.
"He's learned his lesson," he said.
"Protection of the public is not an issue."
He requested a sentence of six months of house arrest.
Federal Crown prosecutor Leonard MacKay disagreed steroids weren't dangerous.
He said their use can cause in health problems and can even result in death.
Undercover police officers purchased steroids from Court on two occasions for the amount of $1,000 and $4,000, said MacKay.
Police wiretaps of Court talking to a man in Ontario who supplied him with steroids talking about a shipment seized by police being worth $10,000.
MacKay said Court was involved in selling tens of thousands of pills, although the Crown didn't put a value on the illegal drugs.
"The amounts involved by all accounts are large amounts," he said.
MacKay asked the court to impose a two-year prison sentence.
If Dickson considered a conditional sentence, MacKay requested a fine of tens of thousands of dollars also be considered as deterrence.
The judge said he must balance the issue of the fairness of the sentence with the issue of public deterrence and the scale of Court's operation.
"This was no mom-and-pop operation," he said.
Dickson reserved his decision on sentence until Wednesday morning.
"I'm an intelligent man who did a stupid thing," said 36-year-old Spencer Gordon Court.
"I'm here to take my punishment ... There's no question what I did was wrong."
But he also asked Judge Julian Dickson for a conditional sentence so he could continue to operate his legal fitness business.
The court was told he has six employees, but the business will close if he's sent to jail.
"I'm running a clear show - crystal clear," said Court.
He also said he's paying voluntary child support for his two-year-old daughter.
Court said he was working hard and running a successful fitness business prior to his arrest.
But he said he made the mistake of being too flashy with his money and began to attract the wrong crowd to his gym.
"I was consumed by the fame," said the former member of the Canadian Forces, a tall, broad-shouldered man with a closely-shaved head.
He said people in his gym began asking him for steroids to help them grow muscle mass fast.
Defence lawyer William Stephenson earlier told the court his client first started using steroids in 2000 when he was in the military and was looking for an edge when weightlifting.
Court said he began selling steroids in his gym even though he made little profit from it compared to his legitimate business.
He said he hated other illegal drugs, and he can be heard saying that in police wire taps.
But he said he considered steroids to be a grey area when it came to breaking the law.
That changed when his business and home were raided by police in 2007.
"It was scary ... It was a big wake-up call," Court said.
"The big lesson is there's no grey in the law."
Court said since 2007 he has worked hard to re-establish his business and reported in regularly with the police.
He said he's lost a lot of friends and suffered public ridicule.
"I took a media beating," he said.
He said his business has suffered and while he continued to pay his employees, at times he didn't have anything to eat.
But he also said he wasn't asking for pity.
Stephenson said steroids aren't as dangerous as heroin or cocaine.
"They're at the bottom of the serious totem pole," he said.
The defence lawyer said Court sold only to people who approached him, never sold to anyone underage and didn't sell on a large scale.
He said that huge amounts of money weren't involved. For example, 10 bottles of 100 tablets each of a steroid was worth only $4,000.
"It sounds a lot worse that it is," he said.
Stephenson said this is Court's first offence and he isn't a danger to the public.
"He's learned his lesson," he said.
"Protection of the public is not an issue."
He requested a sentence of six months of house arrest.
Federal Crown prosecutor Leonard MacKay disagreed steroids weren't dangerous.
He said their use can cause in health problems and can even result in death.
Undercover police officers purchased steroids from Court on two occasions for the amount of $1,000 and $4,000, said MacKay.
Police wiretaps of Court talking to a man in Ontario who supplied him with steroids talking about a shipment seized by police being worth $10,000.
MacKay said Court was involved in selling tens of thousands of pills, although the Crown didn't put a value on the illegal drugs.
"The amounts involved by all accounts are large amounts," he said.
MacKay asked the court to impose a two-year prison sentence.
If Dickson considered a conditional sentence, MacKay requested a fine of tens of thousands of dollars also be considered as deterrence.
The judge said he must balance the issue of the fairness of the sentence with the issue of public deterrence and the scale of Court's operation.
"This was no mom-and-pop operation," he said.
Dickson reserved his decision on sentence until Wednesday morning.
Australian gyms removing heavy weights and olympic bars to discourage steroid users ?
( next thing you know they'll be admitting steroid users train harder :-) )
GYM-GOERS and fitness trainers are reporting a rise in anabolic steroid use in the lead-up to summer despite well-documented risks including testicle shrinkage and liver damage.
The Newcastle Herald reported in January concerns in the Hunter fitness industry about steroid abuse. But trainer Marc Hingston, from Howzat Cooks Hill, said steroid use appeared to be starting earlier this year. He estimated that the number of steroid users at his gym had risen from about 5per cent of people who used the weight training facilities 18 months ago to between 25 and 30per cent. ‘‘I know that others [fitness centres] are having big problems but I don’t know whether or not they are willing to talk about it, because it’s such a competitive industry,’’ Mr Hingston said. Hamilton resident Ben Hodges, who lifts weights at Howzat as part of his fitness regime, is anti-steroids but says it is not hard to pick out the people who use them. ‘‘A lot of the young kids these days are definitely hitting the steroids and trying to get massive really quickly,’’ he said. ‘‘They are just doing it in all the wrong ways and before their bodies are fully developed; it doesn’t make sense.’’
Other gym owners and managers said they discouraged steroid users from attending their gyms by removing large weights and Olympic bars from their weight rooms. Hunter New England Health drug and alcohol clinical services manager Bill Robertson said many young men were after a quick fix but were often uneducated about the side effects of illicit steroid use. ‘‘I think it’s perhaps done without necessarily thinking it through and without having someone explain to them what the potential harms are,’’ Mr Robertson said.
GYM-GOERS and fitness trainers are reporting a rise in anabolic steroid use in the lead-up to summer despite well-documented risks including testicle shrinkage and liver damage.
The Newcastle Herald reported in January concerns in the Hunter fitness industry about steroid abuse. But trainer Marc Hingston, from Howzat Cooks Hill, said steroid use appeared to be starting earlier this year. He estimated that the number of steroid users at his gym had risen from about 5per cent of people who used the weight training facilities 18 months ago to between 25 and 30per cent. ‘‘I know that others [fitness centres] are having big problems but I don’t know whether or not they are willing to talk about it, because it’s such a competitive industry,’’ Mr Hingston said. Hamilton resident Ben Hodges, who lifts weights at Howzat as part of his fitness regime, is anti-steroids but says it is not hard to pick out the people who use them. ‘‘A lot of the young kids these days are definitely hitting the steroids and trying to get massive really quickly,’’ he said. ‘‘They are just doing it in all the wrong ways and before their bodies are fully developed; it doesn’t make sense.’’
Other gym owners and managers said they discouraged steroid users from attending their gyms by removing large weights and Olympic bars from their weight rooms. Hunter New England Health drug and alcohol clinical services manager Bill Robertson said many young men were after a quick fix but were often uneducated about the side effects of illicit steroid use. ‘‘I think it’s perhaps done without necessarily thinking it through and without having someone explain to them what the potential harms are,’’ Mr Robertson said.
Supplement company Axis Labs in legal trouble over Monster Caps.
Federal authorities have charged Axis Labs LLC of Centennial with a
criminal count of mail fraud on allegations it illegally sold mail-order
supplements containing anabolic steroids.
Prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Colorado charged Axis Labs on Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Denver.
Axis Labs is accused of “being involved” in the making and selling a muscle-building and weight-loss product called Monster Caps, which the company purported was a dietary supplement that didn’t need to be prescribed by a doctor.
Monster Caps actually contained undeclared synthetic anabolic steroids and were intended “to affect the structure and function of the human body,” which made the product a regulated drug needing Food & Drug Administration approval to be sold, investigators alleged.
“It is critically important that consumers know the contents of what they are consuming,” said John Walsh, U.S. Attorney for Colorado, in a press release. “In this case, the product contained synthetic anabolic steroids, and because of its potential for harm, it was a prescription drug that could only be dispensed pursuant to a valid prescription.”
An investigation involving the U.S. Food and Drug Administration found Axis Labs mailed Monster Caps throughout the United States in 2008 and 2009 to customers ordering them over the Internet, authorities allege.
Axis Labs faces a fine of up to $500,000 if convicted on the mail fraud count.
Axis Labs did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment.
Prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Colorado charged Axis Labs on Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Denver.
Axis Labs is accused of “being involved” in the making and selling a muscle-building and weight-loss product called Monster Caps, which the company purported was a dietary supplement that didn’t need to be prescribed by a doctor.
Monster Caps actually contained undeclared synthetic anabolic steroids and were intended “to affect the structure and function of the human body,” which made the product a regulated drug needing Food & Drug Administration approval to be sold, investigators alleged.
“It is critically important that consumers know the contents of what they are consuming,” said John Walsh, U.S. Attorney for Colorado, in a press release. “In this case, the product contained synthetic anabolic steroids, and because of its potential for harm, it was a prescription drug that could only be dispensed pursuant to a valid prescription.”
An investigation involving the U.S. Food and Drug Administration found Axis Labs mailed Monster Caps throughout the United States in 2008 and 2009 to customers ordering them over the Internet, authorities allege.
Axis Labs faces a fine of up to $500,000 if convicted on the mail fraud count.
Axis Labs did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment.
Seller of domestic UG steroids arrested.
Montgomery County sheriff's deputies arrested a Spring man as part of an ongoing investigation into a steroid manufacturing and distribution ring.
Matthew Emilio Montano, 28, was arrested about 8 p.m. Wednesday after delivering 56 vials of liquid anabolic steroids to an undercover investigator at a shopping center in Spring, deputies said.
He is believed to be a key member of a ring supplying illegal growth hormones to gyms in the area, officials said.
Earlier this year, investigators raided a clandestine laboratory in Montgomery County and uncovered several pounds of powdered and liquid growth hormones, along with chemicals, glassware and other components, sheriff's deputies said.
Montano was charged Thursday with felony delivery of a controlled substance. He is being held without bail at the Harris County Jail.
Matthew Emilio Montano, 28, was arrested about 8 p.m. Wednesday after delivering 56 vials of liquid anabolic steroids to an undercover investigator at a shopping center in Spring, deputies said.
He is believed to be a key member of a ring supplying illegal growth hormones to gyms in the area, officials said.
Earlier this year, investigators raided a clandestine laboratory in Montgomery County and uncovered several pounds of powdered and liquid growth hormones, along with chemicals, glassware and other components, sheriff's deputies said.
Montano was charged Thursday with felony delivery of a controlled substance. He is being held without bail at the Harris County Jail.
Volleyball coach and younger friends busted for roids and coke.
A Clear Springs High School teacher and volleyball coach is among three men accused of selling steroids and cocaine, Friendswood police said. Police are looking into the possibility that drugs might have been sold to students, authorities said.
Timothy Todd Porter, 45, was arrested at his house in League City on three felony drug charges, including delivery of a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance.
The arrests stem from a three-month investigation by Friendswood police and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency that included a raid at a Dallas-area business that authorities said was a compounding pharmacy used to make steroids.
Police also searched Porter’s house and found 98 grams of Stanozolol and 35 grams of Anabar, Wieners said. Both are oral steroids.
There’s a possibility that some of the customers for the drugs were students, Friendswood Police Chief Bob Wieners said.
“The extent of steroid use and sales involving student athletes is a serious concern shared by the Friendswood Police Department and the local communities that have students attending Clear Springs High School,” the chief said in a statement.
Police asked parents of Clear Springs students to talk to their children to determine if they were sold or given drugs and if so to call police, Wieners said.
Porter, who was suspended from his job after his arrest, was the junior varsity coach at Clear Springs and before that was the head volleyball coach at Clear Creek High School, district spokeswoman Janice Scott said.
“We share in our parents’ concerns following the arrest of a Clear Springs High School teacher and coach on drug charges,” the district said in a statement. “If the allegations prove to be true, he will be terminated.”
Porter, who teaches physics and astronomy, has worked for the Clear Creek school district for 22 years, Scott said.
Until six years ago, Porter was also a coach of a Gulf Coast Volleyball Association club team, association director Vic Clifford said. Porter has since moved on to coach for another volleyball association.
“He even coached my son,” Clifford said. “He was a good coach. There were no type of allegations of (drug selling) as far as we could tell.”
Porter also coached at Absolute Volleyball Academy until this year, the academy's co-owner Jerry Linch said. News of Porter's arrest, "came as a complete shock to us," Linch said.
"The arrest and allegations are certainly disturbing for the directors, staff, players and parents at AVA," Linch said in a statement. "If, and when needed, we will cooperate fully with the police officials. At this time we have not been given any information that would lead us to believe that these allegations are in direct connection to anyone associated with our facility."
According to Porter’s online bio, he coached several Olympians and All-American volleyball players.
Also arrested were, Geoffrey Winlock Taunton, 45, who was charged with possession of a controlled substance, and Joshua Todd Decker, 21, was charged with possession of marijuana and possession of a controlled substance.
An 18-year-old Clear Springs student who arrived at the house and who was driving Porter’s car at the time of the arrest was not arrested, Wieners said.
Timothy Todd Porter, 45, was arrested at his house in League City on three felony drug charges, including delivery of a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance.
The arrests stem from a three-month investigation by Friendswood police and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency that included a raid at a Dallas-area business that authorities said was a compounding pharmacy used to make steroids.
Police also searched Porter’s house and found 98 grams of Stanozolol and 35 grams of Anabar, Wieners said. Both are oral steroids.
There’s a possibility that some of the customers for the drugs were students, Friendswood Police Chief Bob Wieners said.
“The extent of steroid use and sales involving student athletes is a serious concern shared by the Friendswood Police Department and the local communities that have students attending Clear Springs High School,” the chief said in a statement.
Police asked parents of Clear Springs students to talk to their children to determine if they were sold or given drugs and if so to call police, Wieners said.
Porter, who was suspended from his job after his arrest, was the junior varsity coach at Clear Springs and before that was the head volleyball coach at Clear Creek High School, district spokeswoman Janice Scott said.
“We share in our parents’ concerns following the arrest of a Clear Springs High School teacher and coach on drug charges,” the district said in a statement. “If the allegations prove to be true, he will be terminated.”
Porter, who teaches physics and astronomy, has worked for the Clear Creek school district for 22 years, Scott said.
Until six years ago, Porter was also a coach of a Gulf Coast Volleyball Association club team, association director Vic Clifford said. Porter has since moved on to coach for another volleyball association.
“He even coached my son,” Clifford said. “He was a good coach. There were no type of allegations of (drug selling) as far as we could tell.”
Porter also coached at Absolute Volleyball Academy until this year, the academy's co-owner Jerry Linch said. News of Porter's arrest, "came as a complete shock to us," Linch said.
"The arrest and allegations are certainly disturbing for the directors, staff, players and parents at AVA," Linch said in a statement. "If, and when needed, we will cooperate fully with the police officials. At this time we have not been given any information that would lead us to believe that these allegations are in direct connection to anyone associated with our facility."
According to Porter’s online bio, he coached several Olympians and All-American volleyball players.
Also arrested were, Geoffrey Winlock Taunton, 45, who was charged with possession of a controlled substance, and Joshua Todd Decker, 21, was charged with possession of marijuana and possession of a controlled substance.
An 18-year-old Clear Springs student who arrived at the house and who was driving Porter’s car at the time of the arrest was not arrested, Wieners said.
Tesamorelin is a possible treatment for muscle wasting.
Theratechnologies, a Canada-based developer of therapeutic peptide products, has started screening of patients in a Phase 2 trial to assess tesamorelin as a treatment for muscle wasting in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Tesamorelin is a growth hormone-releasing factor (GRF) analogue that induces growth hormone production and its anabolic properties have led Theratechnologies to pursue its development in muscle wasting in patients with COPD as a second indication for the compound.
A previously concluded phase 2 trial in stable ambulatory COPD patients has demonstrated a statistically significant increase in lean body mass (LBM).
The study will evaluate the efficacy and safety of a daily administration of either a 2mg or 3mg dose of a new formulation of tesamorelin for a period of 26 weeks.
The double-blind, multi-center, placebo-controlled, randomized trial is expected to be conducted in 25 centers across US and Canada.
The company expects to enroll about 200 patients and the trial results are expected before the end of 2012.
Tesamorelin is a growth hormone-releasing factor (GRF) analogue that induces growth hormone production and its anabolic properties have led Theratechnologies to pursue its development in muscle wasting in patients with COPD as a second indication for the compound.
A previously concluded phase 2 trial in stable ambulatory COPD patients has demonstrated a statistically significant increase in lean body mass (LBM).
The study will evaluate the efficacy and safety of a daily administration of either a 2mg or 3mg dose of a new formulation of tesamorelin for a period of 26 weeks.
The double-blind, multi-center, placebo-controlled, randomized trial is expected to be conducted in 25 centers across US and Canada.
The company expects to enroll about 200 patients and the trial results are expected before the end of 2012.
First ever case of a British steroid user stealing to pay for his gear ?
A man who stole £9,430 of jewellery from his mother to pay for bodybuilding drugs has avoided being sent to jail.
Jamie Bentley took his mother’s treasured possessions and sold them in pawnshops in Witham and Colchester, a court heard.
Bentley, 24, admitted stealing the jewellery from his mother’s Halstead home between February and May last year.
He originally claimed the value of the items taken from Jill Bentley were less than the prosecution’s total, and a hearing had been arranged to allow Judge Charles Gratwicke to rule on this matter alone.
Bentley accepted the amount involved was £9,430 when he appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court. Judge Gratwicke told him: “This was a despicable and selfish course of conduct.
“You plundered the property of your mother, who had done you no harm.
“She brought you into this world, cared for you, brought you up and, no doubt, loved you. She probably still does.
“Your response was to abuse that trust and affection in order to meet your selfish desires.”
Bentley, of Beatty Gardens, Braintree, was given a nine-month jail sentence, suspended for two years, and told to pay his mother £9,430 compensation.
He was also given a 200-hour unpaid work order.
The judge said he was not sending Bentley to jail since he was due to start work as a dustman and could use his earnings to repay his mother.
Bentley’s lawyer, Lynne Shirley, told the court he was sorry for what he had done.
She said her client had been training at a gym and got involved in taking steroids and a growth hormone.
She said the items were expensive, so he started stealing from his mother to pay for them.
Miss Shirley added: “He made a stupid decision to take the jewellery and everything spiralled out of control.
“He wants to make good what he has done.”
Jamie Bentley took his mother’s treasured possessions and sold them in pawnshops in Witham and Colchester, a court heard.
Bentley, 24, admitted stealing the jewellery from his mother’s Halstead home between February and May last year.
He originally claimed the value of the items taken from Jill Bentley were less than the prosecution’s total, and a hearing had been arranged to allow Judge Charles Gratwicke to rule on this matter alone.
Bentley accepted the amount involved was £9,430 when he appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court. Judge Gratwicke told him: “This was a despicable and selfish course of conduct.
“You plundered the property of your mother, who had done you no harm.
“She brought you into this world, cared for you, brought you up and, no doubt, loved you. She probably still does.
“Your response was to abuse that trust and affection in order to meet your selfish desires.”
Bentley, of Beatty Gardens, Braintree, was given a nine-month jail sentence, suspended for two years, and told to pay his mother £9,430 compensation.
He was also given a 200-hour unpaid work order.
The judge said he was not sending Bentley to jail since he was due to start work as a dustman and could use his earnings to repay his mother.
Bentley’s lawyer, Lynne Shirley, told the court he was sorry for what he had done.
She said her client had been training at a gym and got involved in taking steroids and a growth hormone.
She said the items were expensive, so he started stealing from his mother to pay for them.
Miss Shirley added: “He made a stupid decision to take the jewellery and everything spiralled out of control.
“He wants to make good what he has done.”
"Brown fat" implants and drugs to fight obesity coming soon.
Using fat to fight fat could be the key to helping obese people shed their unwanted kilos.
Scientists believe so-called brown fat, which burns calories, might one day be used to help obese people shed their excess amounts of white fat.
Everybody is born with brown fat, which is deposited around the neckline in newborns to ensure they stay warm.
Using fat to fight fat could be the key to helping obese people shed their unwanted kilos.
Scientists believe so-called brown fat, which burns calories, might one day be used to help obese people shed their excess amounts of white fat.
Everybody is born with brown fat, which is deposited around the neckline in newborns to ensure they stay warm.
However by adulthood very limited amounts, if any, is left.
White fat,on the other hand, stores energy and can build up in the body to excessive amounts causing obesity.
In a bid to tackle the excess white fat carried by obese people, scientists at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Sydney have worked out how to grow brown fat.
Using stem cells taken from adults, they grew brown fat cells in test tubes using hormone stimulants and other growth factors.
The fact that brown fat cells can be grown has raised hopes that one day it could be transplanted in obese people to speed up how many calories they burn.
Alternatively, scientists could develop drugs designed to stimulate the growth of brown fat in the body to encourage weight loss.
Garvan endocrinologist Dr Paul Lee, who led the research, said brown fat could act as a "buffer system" to help resist weight gain.
A relatively small amount of brown fat - 50g to 60g - could burn about 300 calories a day.
However, Dr Lee warned more work was needed.
He said even if brown fat was transplanted into obese people or drugs developed to stimulate the growth of brown fat, exercise and a healthy diet would still be crucial to aiding weight loss.
"While this (research) is of benefit it still comes down to the lifestyle of the individual," Dr Lee told AAP.
"So I don't think this is a solution to obesity because there are so many other factors (involved in obesity).
"Despite how efficient brown fat is at burning energy we would only need a few doughnuts to diminish or negate its benefits."
Brown fat has puzzled scientists for many years, particularly in regards to why adult animals still have it to help them burn calories but humans don't or only have it in small amounts.
Dr Lee said the rise in obesity in recent decades could be linked to the reduction in brown fat levels in humans.
"In the past 20 or 30 years there's been something in the environment or our lifestyle that has wiped out brown fat and we have lost its protective mechanism," he said.
"And it's probably because we're not keeping ourselves cold anymore.
"One argument is global warming, and I'm not talking about the greenhouse effect but we are keeping our indoor environments warmer so there's no reason for brown fat to grow."
Dr Lee said it would be years before tests could be carried out on brown fat transplants.
In the meantime, he is expanding his study to test different ways to grow brown fat.
His study has been published in the online edition of the journal Endocrinology.
Scientists believe so-called brown fat, which burns calories, might one day be used to help obese people shed their excess amounts of white fat.
Everybody is born with brown fat, which is deposited around the neckline in newborns to ensure they stay warm.
Using fat to fight fat could be the key to helping obese people shed their unwanted kilos.
Scientists believe so-called brown fat, which burns calories, might one day be used to help obese people shed their excess amounts of white fat.
Everybody is born with brown fat, which is deposited around the neckline in newborns to ensure they stay warm.
However by adulthood very limited amounts, if any, is left.
White fat,on the other hand, stores energy and can build up in the body to excessive amounts causing obesity.
In a bid to tackle the excess white fat carried by obese people, scientists at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Sydney have worked out how to grow brown fat.
Using stem cells taken from adults, they grew brown fat cells in test tubes using hormone stimulants and other growth factors.
The fact that brown fat cells can be grown has raised hopes that one day it could be transplanted in obese people to speed up how many calories they burn.
Alternatively, scientists could develop drugs designed to stimulate the growth of brown fat in the body to encourage weight loss.
Garvan endocrinologist Dr Paul Lee, who led the research, said brown fat could act as a "buffer system" to help resist weight gain.
A relatively small amount of brown fat - 50g to 60g - could burn about 300 calories a day.
However, Dr Lee warned more work was needed.
He said even if brown fat was transplanted into obese people or drugs developed to stimulate the growth of brown fat, exercise and a healthy diet would still be crucial to aiding weight loss.
"While this (research) is of benefit it still comes down to the lifestyle of the individual," Dr Lee told AAP.
"So I don't think this is a solution to obesity because there are so many other factors (involved in obesity).
"Despite how efficient brown fat is at burning energy we would only need a few doughnuts to diminish or negate its benefits."
Brown fat has puzzled scientists for many years, particularly in regards to why adult animals still have it to help them burn calories but humans don't or only have it in small amounts.
Dr Lee said the rise in obesity in recent decades could be linked to the reduction in brown fat levels in humans.
"In the past 20 or 30 years there's been something in the environment or our lifestyle that has wiped out brown fat and we have lost its protective mechanism," he said.
"And it's probably because we're not keeping ourselves cold anymore.
"One argument is global warming, and I'm not talking about the greenhouse effect but we are keeping our indoor environments warmer so there's no reason for brown fat to grow."
Dr Lee said it would be years before tests could be carried out on brown fat transplants.
In the meantime, he is expanding his study to test different ways to grow brown fat.
His study has been published in the online edition of the journal Endocrinology.
New indictments in "Operation Juice Doctor 2".
Internal medicine specialist Dr. Timothy Sigman used a Sebastian clinic he owned to push steroid and human growth hormone prescriptions, and the vice president of recently shut-down Treasure Coast Pharmacy in Jensen Beach helped run the business and fill prescriptions through the pharmacy, according to new indictment documents.
Sigman, 40, of the 6000 block of 110th Street in Sebastian, was arrested Thursday along with Treasure Coast Pharmacy owner Peter Del Toro, his father and pharmacy vice president Richard Del Toro and pharmacy employee Jaclyn Rubino. Nine others also were taken into custody, including doctors, businesspeople and a chiropractor, according to the indictment.
Sigman, 40, of the 6000 block of 110th Street in Sebastian, was arrested Thursday along with Treasure Coast Pharmacy owner Peter Del Toro, his father and pharmacy vice president Richard Del Toro and pharmacy employee Jaclyn Rubino. Nine others also were taken into custody, including doctors, businesspeople and a chiropractor, according to the indictment.
The four Treasure Coast stakeholders were taken to Palm Beach County Jail, and the group of 13 faces various a 42-count indictment for attempting to distribute and actually distributing steroids, HGH and pain pills like oxycodone. Sigman, who works out of 1515 U.S. 1 in Sebastian, only faces charges for steroid and HGH distribution, according to the indictment. The 42-count indictment states the arrested parties could face a maximum of 20 years in prison.
Up until September 2010, Richard Del Toro, 60, of Port St. Lucie, helped manage Sebastian-based Health Transformations, a clinic owned and operated by Sigman at his home address, Department of State records show. The business dropped Richard Del Toro and added Sigman's wife, Elizabeth L. Sigman, as its registered agent last September, the records show.
Sigman employed medical professionals and salespeople, including the receptionist and office manager, to approve drug orders for steroids, HGH and other prescription drugs, the indictment said.
Customers paid Health Transformations for body-building, anti-aging and performance-enhancing drugs; the clinic sent Treasure Coast Pharmacy the order, and the pharmacy usually shipped the drugs right to its customers, according to the indictment.
Health Transformations cut checks to Richard Del Toro and Pharmville Consulting, a corporation of which Peter Del Toro, 38, of Palm City, is president, the indictment states.
DEA agents seized boxes of medical records from Treasure Coast Pharmacy during a late June raid. The agency hours later stripped the pharmacy's license to distribute controlled substances, and the state Department of Health ordered the pharmacy closed and suspended Peter Del Toro's pharmacist license.
Treasure Coast Pharmacy dispensed almost 11,000 steroid and human-growth hormone orders and 3,700 other addictive prescriptions, such as oxycodone, from October 2010 to March 31, according to a Department of Health emergency suspension order.
Doctors received the prescription orders, which were largely placed online, and signed off without in-person patient exams or regard for the orders' quantities or dosages, according to the order.
Peter Del Toro filled more than 84 percent of those prescriptions, according to the order, after 57 physicians — including 30 in Florida — signed off on them.
The drugs were shipped nationwide and internationally to locations like Finland, Guam and the Virgin Islands, according to the order.
The Department of Health still lists Sigman's doctor license as clear and active. He's board-certified in internal medicine, graduated from the American University of the Caribbean and completed a residency in Memphis, Tenn.
Sigman also has staff privileges at Indian River Medical Center and Sebastian River Medical Center, according to Department of Health records.
Department of Health spokeswoman Jennifer Hirst said the department has not yet decided if it plans to suspend Sigman's license.
It's not immediately clear if the arrest will affect his practice's operations.
“Operation Juice Doctor 2” targets Florida pill mills.
Thirteen individuals, including five doctors, one pharmacist and one chiropractor, were charged today for their participation in the illegal distribution of pain killers, steroids and human growth hormones through “pill mills” operating in Broward, Palm Beach and Martin Counties in Florida, and through the internet, respectively. The charges in this case, dubbed “Operation Juice Doctor 2,” involve a wide-ranging scheme to illegally distribute these drugs nationwide.
The indictment, filed August 31, 2011, and unsealed today, was announced by Tony West, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division of the Department of Justice; Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida; and Mark R. Trouville, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Miami Field Division.
“According to the indictment unsealed today, these defendants were involved in a scheme to push dangerous drugs -- steroids, human growth hormone and oxycodone -- into the hands of buyers who lacked legitimate prescriptions,” said Tony West, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division of the Department of Justice. “Sadly, the defendants include physicians who, we allege, were doctors doing harm: ignoring their oaths and obligation to put the health and safety of patients first.”
United States Attorney Ferrer stated, “Operation Pill Nation, Operation Snake Oil, Operation Oxy Alley, and now Operation Juice Doctor 2. In a span of just six months, we have attacked from every angle what can only be described as a homegrown prescription drug epidemic. In Operation Juice Doctor2, we have charged corrupt pharmacy and clinic owners, complicit doctors and employees, all of whom made a handsome living dealing in prescription drugs, while hiding behind a medical license. Working with our federal and local partners, we are shutting down these dangerous pill mills and internet pharmacy operations.”
DEA Special Agent in Charge Trouville added, “Today’s announcement reflects the Drug Enforcement Administration’s continued efforts to take the profit out of the illegal diversion of pharmaceutical drugs. Furthermore, we are sending the message once again to those that are still profiting and those who are considering entering this business, that we remain vigilant and aggressively pursue those conducting business outside the course of accepted medical practice.”
The 42-count indictment charges the defendants with numerous crimes, including conspiracy to distribute anabolic steroids (count 1); distribution of anabolic steroids (counts 2 through 21); conspiracy to distribute oxycodone (count 22); distribution of oxycodone (counts 23 through 25); conspiracy to distribute human growth hormone (count 26); distribution of human growth hormone (counts 27 through 41); and attempted importation of anabolic steroids (count 42).
Charged in the indictment are Peter DelToro, Pharm.D ., 38, of Palm City, Fla.; Richard DelToro, 60, of Port St. Lucie, Fla.; Jaclyn Rubino, 31, of Stuart, Fla.; Pedro Carrillo, M.D ., 52, of Escondido, Calif.; Jeffrey Perelman, M.D ., 54, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla; Paul Joyce, 49, of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.; Charles Cook, 50, of Palm Beach Gardens; Donald Montano, 74, of Jupiter, Fla.; Kevin Johnson, 41, of Jupiter; Craig Beaver, D.C ., 47, of Lake Worth, Fla.; Alan Lefkin, M.D ., 53, of Parkland, Fla.; Steven Pearlstein, M.D ., 56, of Coral Springs, Fla.; and Timothy Sigman, M.D ., 40, of Sebastian, Fla.
According to the indictment, Peter DelToro, Richard DelToro and Jaclyn Rubino operated Treasure Coast Specialty Pharmacy, in Jensen Beach, Fla ., and distributed steroids, human growth hormone and oxycodone to individuals and clinics across the nation and abroad. Other defendants named in the indictment allegedly operated various clinics, including “anti-aging,” “hormone replacement therapy” and “pain management” clinics. The indictment alleges that the clinics employed physicians who signed prescriptions that were written by clinic operators and salespeople. The indictment further alleges that the prescriptions were issued without a physical examination of the patient, outside the usual course of professional medical practice, and not for a legitimate medical need. The prescriptions were for controlled substances and human growth hormone for unapproved uses.
The indictment also alleges that the clinics forwarded the prescriptions to Treasure Coast Specialty Pharmacy in Jensen Beach for filing and shipment directly to customers and, at times, to the clinics. According to the indictment, the pharmacy owner illegally attempted to import steroids, of the same type used to fill the clinics’ prescriptions, from China.
Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that Schedule II prescription painkillers, like oxycodone, today cause more drug overdose deaths than cocaine and heroin combined. Oxycodone and other Schedule II drugs have a high potential for abuse and can be crushed and snorted, or dissolved and injected, to get an immediate high. This abuse can lead to addiction, overdose, and sometimes death.
If convicted, the defendants face a statutory maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on counts 1, 7, 8, 10-14, 17-21 and 42; five years on counts 2-6, 9, 15, 16, and 26-41; and 20 years on count 22 through 25.
Today’s case is the result of the ongoing efforts of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a partnership between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The OCDETF mission is to identify, investigate and prosecute high-level members of drug trafficking enterprises, bringing together the combined expertise and unique abilities of federal, state and local law enforcement.
The case was investigated by the DEA with assistance from the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigations and the Boca Raton Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Cindy Cho of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch and Assistant United States Attorney Ellen L. Cohen.
An indictment is only an accusation and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
The indictment, filed August 31, 2011, and unsealed today, was announced by Tony West, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division of the Department of Justice; Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida; and Mark R. Trouville, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Miami Field Division.
“According to the indictment unsealed today, these defendants were involved in a scheme to push dangerous drugs -- steroids, human growth hormone and oxycodone -- into the hands of buyers who lacked legitimate prescriptions,” said Tony West, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division of the Department of Justice. “Sadly, the defendants include physicians who, we allege, were doctors doing harm: ignoring their oaths and obligation to put the health and safety of patients first.”
United States Attorney Ferrer stated, “Operation Pill Nation, Operation Snake Oil, Operation Oxy Alley, and now Operation Juice Doctor 2. In a span of just six months, we have attacked from every angle what can only be described as a homegrown prescription drug epidemic. In Operation Juice Doctor2, we have charged corrupt pharmacy and clinic owners, complicit doctors and employees, all of whom made a handsome living dealing in prescription drugs, while hiding behind a medical license. Working with our federal and local partners, we are shutting down these dangerous pill mills and internet pharmacy operations.”
DEA Special Agent in Charge Trouville added, “Today’s announcement reflects the Drug Enforcement Administration’s continued efforts to take the profit out of the illegal diversion of pharmaceutical drugs. Furthermore, we are sending the message once again to those that are still profiting and those who are considering entering this business, that we remain vigilant and aggressively pursue those conducting business outside the course of accepted medical practice.”
The 42-count indictment charges the defendants with numerous crimes, including conspiracy to distribute anabolic steroids (count 1); distribution of anabolic steroids (counts 2 through 21); conspiracy to distribute oxycodone (count 22); distribution of oxycodone (counts 23 through 25); conspiracy to distribute human growth hormone (count 26); distribution of human growth hormone (counts 27 through 41); and attempted importation of anabolic steroids (count 42).
Charged in the indictment are Peter DelToro, Pharm.D ., 38, of Palm City, Fla.; Richard DelToro, 60, of Port St. Lucie, Fla.; Jaclyn Rubino, 31, of Stuart, Fla.; Pedro Carrillo, M.D ., 52, of Escondido, Calif.; Jeffrey Perelman, M.D ., 54, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla; Paul Joyce, 49, of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.; Charles Cook, 50, of Palm Beach Gardens; Donald Montano, 74, of Jupiter, Fla.; Kevin Johnson, 41, of Jupiter; Craig Beaver, D.C ., 47, of Lake Worth, Fla.; Alan Lefkin, M.D ., 53, of Parkland, Fla.; Steven Pearlstein, M.D ., 56, of Coral Springs, Fla.; and Timothy Sigman, M.D ., 40, of Sebastian, Fla.
According to the indictment, Peter DelToro, Richard DelToro and Jaclyn Rubino operated Treasure Coast Specialty Pharmacy, in Jensen Beach, Fla ., and distributed steroids, human growth hormone and oxycodone to individuals and clinics across the nation and abroad. Other defendants named in the indictment allegedly operated various clinics, including “anti-aging,” “hormone replacement therapy” and “pain management” clinics. The indictment alleges that the clinics employed physicians who signed prescriptions that were written by clinic operators and salespeople. The indictment further alleges that the prescriptions were issued without a physical examination of the patient, outside the usual course of professional medical practice, and not for a legitimate medical need. The prescriptions were for controlled substances and human growth hormone for unapproved uses.
The indictment also alleges that the clinics forwarded the prescriptions to Treasure Coast Specialty Pharmacy in Jensen Beach for filing and shipment directly to customers and, at times, to the clinics. According to the indictment, the pharmacy owner illegally attempted to import steroids, of the same type used to fill the clinics’ prescriptions, from China.
Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that Schedule II prescription painkillers, like oxycodone, today cause more drug overdose deaths than cocaine and heroin combined. Oxycodone and other Schedule II drugs have a high potential for abuse and can be crushed and snorted, or dissolved and injected, to get an immediate high. This abuse can lead to addiction, overdose, and sometimes death.
If convicted, the defendants face a statutory maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on counts 1, 7, 8, 10-14, 17-21 and 42; five years on counts 2-6, 9, 15, 16, and 26-41; and 20 years on count 22 through 25.
Today’s case is the result of the ongoing efforts of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a partnership between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The OCDETF mission is to identify, investigate and prosecute high-level members of drug trafficking enterprises, bringing together the combined expertise and unique abilities of federal, state and local law enforcement.
The case was investigated by the DEA with assistance from the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigations and the Boca Raton Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Cindy Cho of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch and Assistant United States Attorney Ellen L. Cohen.
An indictment is only an accusation and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
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