A federal jury this afternoon found the owners of a Mobile pharmacy, the business' supervising pharmacist and the owner of a Colorado anti-aging clinic guilty of a steroids conspiracy.
But the jurors acquitted three pharmacists at Applied Pharmacy Services and an investor of the Internet-based anti-aging clinic, Infinite Health.
"This verdict sends a message to medical professionals who would abdicate their responsibilities to their patients in order to profit from illegally selling drugs," U.S. Attorney Kenyen Brown said in a prepared statement. "Athletes and youngsters must realize that those who would prescribe performance enhancing drugs may be motivated by profit and greed rather than their health and well-being."
Prosecutors alleged that Applied Pharmacy was in on the conspiracy, submitting dozens of taped phone conversations as evidence. The pharmacy's owners and employees countered that they believed the prescriptions -- signed by licensed physicians -- were valid.
"It's a tough loss," said Richard Jaffe, an attorney who represented Applied President and CEO A. Samuel Kelley.
Jaffe said he will take a thorough look at the trial record in the coming weeks.
"We first of all have to digest it," he said. "It's an emotional explosion to the lives of our clients."
In addition to Kelley and Branch, the jury convicted Kelly's cousin, Jason R. Kelley, the secretary and part owner of Applied; Jodi C. Silvio, another part owner; and J. Michael Bennett, who was the supervising pharmacist.
Three pharmacists who worked for the compounding pharmacy, J. Mallory Mallon, Roger A. Everett and Robin K. Kelly, won acquittals. Ronald E. Winter, a Colorado sheriff's deputy who was a customer of Branch's and ended up becoming an investor, also was found not guilty.
The jury reached its verdict after deliberating parts of four days following a month-plus trial. Several doctors, who previously had pleaded guilty to steroids charges, testified that they colluded with Infinite Health owner Brett W. Branch to supply steroids to bodybuilders, athletes and other healthy customers.
Story from AL .com
Tuesday, 9 February 2010
British dealer gets controlled delivery of K powder from India, claims he was expecting steroids and Valium.
( Bust happened in Jan 2009, why the one year delay in press reports ? )
A drug dealer who imported £30,000 worth of ketamine from India complained to undercover police officers his post was late when the package finally arrived.
Todd Dent had arranged for four boxes of the recreational drug to be sent to two addresses in Weston-super-Mare while he was on holiday in India's clubbing capital Goa. But when customs officers intercepted the drugs, police set up an undercover sting operation to catch him with the drugs red-handed.
Pretending to be Royal Mail workers, they delivered the packages at the end of January last year. When Dent accepted the boxes of drugs, he told them: "I've been waiting for these since Christmas. I've been waiting for these from a friend in Goa."
Dent, 34, of Longton Grove Road, Weston-super-Mare, was jailed for 15 months when he appeared at Bristol Crown Court yesterday. He had previously pleaded guilty to fraudulent evasion of customs and excise, possession of ketamine with intent to supply and possession of diazepam.
James Ward, prosecuting, said: "On January 23, 2009, officers with Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs reported a package from Goa. "The package was addressed to Alexandra Parade, Weston-super-Mare, and contained two boxes with a crystalline substance. "A second package, addressed to Magnolia Avenue, Weston-super-Mare, arrived later that day and again contained a crystalline substance."
The four boxes contained approximately 500g of ketamine, a class C drug, in each, with an estimated street value of £29,721. Police searched the Alexandra Parade address, which Mr Ward said was a massage parlour and linked to the defendant.
There they found approximately £9,800 worth of the sedative diazepam, a class C drug, and digital scales. When arrested, Dent was caught on CCTV saying he had taken ketamine earlier that day, the court heard.
Dent told officers he had arranged for drugs to be sent over from India, but had expected valium and steroids, not ketamine. Catherine Spedding, defending, said: "Normally he is a hard working man, the proprietor of a business that employs two other people.
"He has built the business up from scratch. He was in great financial difficulty following the break-up of a relationship"
"While on holiday in India, he came into contact with what he believed to be diazapam and foolishly made arrangements for it to be sent.
"The money he was going to get was not going to be used immediately for his own gain."
Story from This is Britstol. co.uk
A drug dealer who imported £30,000 worth of ketamine from India complained to undercover police officers his post was late when the package finally arrived.
Todd Dent had arranged for four boxes of the recreational drug to be sent to two addresses in Weston-super-Mare while he was on holiday in India's clubbing capital Goa. But when customs officers intercepted the drugs, police set up an undercover sting operation to catch him with the drugs red-handed.
Pretending to be Royal Mail workers, they delivered the packages at the end of January last year. When Dent accepted the boxes of drugs, he told them: "I've been waiting for these since Christmas. I've been waiting for these from a friend in Goa."
Dent, 34, of Longton Grove Road, Weston-super-Mare, was jailed for 15 months when he appeared at Bristol Crown Court yesterday. He had previously pleaded guilty to fraudulent evasion of customs and excise, possession of ketamine with intent to supply and possession of diazepam.
James Ward, prosecuting, said: "On January 23, 2009, officers with Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs reported a package from Goa. "The package was addressed to Alexandra Parade, Weston-super-Mare, and contained two boxes with a crystalline substance. "A second package, addressed to Magnolia Avenue, Weston-super-Mare, arrived later that day and again contained a crystalline substance."
The four boxes contained approximately 500g of ketamine, a class C drug, in each, with an estimated street value of £29,721. Police searched the Alexandra Parade address, which Mr Ward said was a massage parlour and linked to the defendant.
There they found approximately £9,800 worth of the sedative diazepam, a class C drug, and digital scales. When arrested, Dent was caught on CCTV saying he had taken ketamine earlier that day, the court heard.
Dent told officers he had arranged for drugs to be sent over from India, but had expected valium and steroids, not ketamine. Catherine Spedding, defending, said: "Normally he is a hard working man, the proprietor of a business that employs two other people.
"He has built the business up from scratch. He was in great financial difficulty following the break-up of a relationship"
"While on holiday in India, he came into contact with what he believed to be diazapam and foolishly made arrangements for it to be sent.
"The money he was going to get was not going to be used immediately for his own gain."
Story from This is Britstol. co.uk
Sunday, 7 February 2010
Weight loss hormone HCG banned but still popular.
The bald, pot-bellied man walked into the Revive Weight Loss Clinic and asked a female employee wearing scrubs whether he and his wife could get on the HCG weight loss diet advertised on the clinic's Web site.
Not only did the employee say the man and his wife could do so at the clinic, located directly across from MountainView Hospital, she pointed out that her svelte figure and those of her colleagues were a result of the HCG diet.
Forty weeks of a daily regimen of HCG would cost around $550, she said; 26 weeks, about $300. "It will be up to the doctor to determine how much you need," she said, giving the man who appeared to be a potential client a brochure while explaining how HCG works in conjunction with a 500-calorie-a-day diet.
Since the 2007 publication of controversial infomercial king Kevin Trudeau's best-selling book on HCG, "The Weight Loss Cure 'They' Don't Want You To Know About," it hasn't been difficult to find doctors and clinics cross the United States selling the diet.
More than a half century ago, a British researcher, Dr. Albert B. Simeons, argued that injections of HCG would allow dieters to exist comfortably on a 500-calorie daily diet, a claim later largely discredited by a series of studies by scientists worldwide.
That the HCG weight loss diet is available in Nevada may seem strange when this fact is considered: It is illegal in the Silver State for a physician to prescribe HCG for weight loss. Yet Las Vegas doctors and clinics advertise what is a synthetic version of the hormone as a way to lose up to 30 pounds in a month. HCG is legal in many other states.
Las Vegas plastic surgeon Terry Higgins touts the diet in the latest edition of the glossy "Las Vegas Woman" magazine, writing that the "regimen has continually shown a weight loss of between 1-2 pounds a day."
Read the rest of this long article on www.lvrj.com
Not only did the employee say the man and his wife could do so at the clinic, located directly across from MountainView Hospital, she pointed out that her svelte figure and those of her colleagues were a result of the HCG diet.
Forty weeks of a daily regimen of HCG would cost around $550, she said; 26 weeks, about $300. "It will be up to the doctor to determine how much you need," she said, giving the man who appeared to be a potential client a brochure while explaining how HCG works in conjunction with a 500-calorie-a-day diet.
Since the 2007 publication of controversial infomercial king Kevin Trudeau's best-selling book on HCG, "The Weight Loss Cure 'They' Don't Want You To Know About," it hasn't been difficult to find doctors and clinics cross the United States selling the diet.
More than a half century ago, a British researcher, Dr. Albert B. Simeons, argued that injections of HCG would allow dieters to exist comfortably on a 500-calorie daily diet, a claim later largely discredited by a series of studies by scientists worldwide.
That the HCG weight loss diet is available in Nevada may seem strange when this fact is considered: It is illegal in the Silver State for a physician to prescribe HCG for weight loss. Yet Las Vegas doctors and clinics advertise what is a synthetic version of the hormone as a way to lose up to 30 pounds in a month. HCG is legal in many other states.
Las Vegas plastic surgeon Terry Higgins touts the diet in the latest edition of the glossy "Las Vegas Woman" magazine, writing that the "regimen has continually shown a weight loss of between 1-2 pounds a day."
Read the rest of this long article on www.lvrj.com
Balkan Pharmaceuticals donates products to Moldovan oncology hospital.
Prime Minister Vlad Filat today participated in a ceremony of donating a consignment of medication to the Chisinau-based Oncology Institute, the government's press service has said.
The consignment worth 7.099 million lei contains seven types of hormonal preparations and was given by the commercial society Balkan Pharmaceutical Ltd.
Health Minister Vladimir Hotineanu thanked the company for the donation. He specified that the medication will be given free of charge to treat patients of the Oncology Institute and the ones treated in other hospitals.
"The oncology pathology is one of the most spread in Moldova and the treatment is costly. On this ground, the offered medicines are very necessary and welcome," the health minister said.
A manager of Balkan Pharmaceutical Ltd, Silviu Chiru, said that, by this donation, the company wants to help people ill with oncology diseases in Moldova. He voiced confidence that the medication will contribute to an efficient treatment of the patients.
Prime Minister Vlad Filat thanked for the donation. He stressed that, by this action, the company gives hope to people at risk.
"Moldova goes through a difficult period, and unfortunately, with poor budgetary possibilities. Therefore, such a gesture is not only welcome, but also helpful," Vlad Filat stressed.
The prime minister thanked the doctors of the Oncology Institute for their efforts, as well as for their attitude.
"You give hope to Moldova's residents by your work and we are grateful to you for this," the prime minister said.
Vlad Filat said that he wants to visit the Oncology Institute very soon again, so as to discuss details about the healthcare system, current problems and actions due to be implemented.
Story from Moldpres. md
The consignment worth 7.099 million lei contains seven types of hormonal preparations and was given by the commercial society Balkan Pharmaceutical Ltd.
Health Minister Vladimir Hotineanu thanked the company for the donation. He specified that the medication will be given free of charge to treat patients of the Oncology Institute and the ones treated in other hospitals.
"The oncology pathology is one of the most spread in Moldova and the treatment is costly. On this ground, the offered medicines are very necessary and welcome," the health minister said.
A manager of Balkan Pharmaceutical Ltd, Silviu Chiru, said that, by this donation, the company wants to help people ill with oncology diseases in Moldova. He voiced confidence that the medication will contribute to an efficient treatment of the patients.
Prime Minister Vlad Filat thanked for the donation. He stressed that, by this action, the company gives hope to people at risk.
"Moldova goes through a difficult period, and unfortunately, with poor budgetary possibilities. Therefore, such a gesture is not only welcome, but also helpful," Vlad Filat stressed.
The prime minister thanked the doctors of the Oncology Institute for their efforts, as well as for their attitude.
"You give hope to Moldova's residents by your work and we are grateful to you for this," the prime minister said.
Vlad Filat said that he wants to visit the Oncology Institute very soon again, so as to discuss details about the healthcare system, current problems and actions due to be implemented.
Story from Moldpres. md
Saturday, 6 February 2010
More Anti steroid propaganda from Britain's BBC.
"My mate was taking steroids and he was getting bigger and bigger, and then another friend started them and I felt sort of left out. That's why I started." Jack was 18 when he first took steroids and conscious of the perceived benefits of honing a chiselled body. "Women generally like defined, big blokes. It's like going back to caveman times - I'm the king of the castle. "You're at a gym, you're like 'aah, I'm lifting more than him, he's nothing'."
I was getting anger problems; I would suddenly lash out at my friends if they just said the wrong thing to me Jack.
Many users purchase their steroids online, including Jack. He told Radio 5live's Donal MacIntyre programme: "I went on the site, ordered them, really easy, shocking really. All you had to do was tick a box that you were over 18. "You could be eight years old and tick that box as long as you can read and write and understand what's going on. "Six days later they were delivered to my door."
But Jack liked the results he was seeing so much he quickly began to take double the recommended dosage. It was then that he started to suffer physical and psychological side-effects. "I was getting anger problems; I would suddenly lash out at my friends if they just said the wrong thing to me. "Before I had really thick hair and whilst I was on them I noticed my hair went thinner and thinner. I'm receding and I'm only 20. "Then I ended up developing breast tissue."
After an emergency trip to hospital, for an incident unrelated to his steroid use, Jack finally had to admit taking the drugs to a concerned doctor who noticed he had a damaged liver. This shocked his mother, Sandra, who was completely unaware her son was taking steroids. "I thought his moodswings were typical teenage adolescent behaviour. "Obviously I was aware he was getting bigger and bigger but he was, to be fair, working hard at the gym as well." "It hadn't rung alarm bells, but perhaps it should have with me." Jack's parents gave him an ultimatum to give up his steroid use or leave home. Jack abided by his parents wishes and now trains without the help of steroids.
Story from BBC news.
I was getting anger problems; I would suddenly lash out at my friends if they just said the wrong thing to me Jack.
Many users purchase their steroids online, including Jack. He told Radio 5live's Donal MacIntyre programme: "I went on the site, ordered them, really easy, shocking really. All you had to do was tick a box that you were over 18. "You could be eight years old and tick that box as long as you can read and write and understand what's going on. "Six days later they were delivered to my door."
But Jack liked the results he was seeing so much he quickly began to take double the recommended dosage. It was then that he started to suffer physical and psychological side-effects. "I was getting anger problems; I would suddenly lash out at my friends if they just said the wrong thing to me. "Before I had really thick hair and whilst I was on them I noticed my hair went thinner and thinner. I'm receding and I'm only 20. "Then I ended up developing breast tissue."
After an emergency trip to hospital, for an incident unrelated to his steroid use, Jack finally had to admit taking the drugs to a concerned doctor who noticed he had a damaged liver. This shocked his mother, Sandra, who was completely unaware her son was taking steroids. "I thought his moodswings were typical teenage adolescent behaviour. "Obviously I was aware he was getting bigger and bigger but he was, to be fair, working hard at the gym as well." "It hadn't rung alarm bells, but perhaps it should have with me." Jack's parents gave him an ultimatum to give up his steroid use or leave home. Jack abided by his parents wishes and now trains without the help of steroids.
Story from BBC news.
Man on probation receives prison for possession.
A judge Thursday sentenced a Casper man to three to five years in prison for felony possession of steroids.
Police arrested Thomas Sage Hallock last October after probation officers said they found steroids at his home.
The 32-year-old pleaded guilty to the charge in December, and Natrona County District Judge Scott Skavdahl announced his sentence Thursday.
According to a police, Hallock, after learning that probation and parole officers were at his residence in October, called his girlfriend and told her to go home and throw several fluid-filled vials in the trash. Probation officers waiting outside the residence watched the woman throw several vials, some of which were labeled "testosterone," into a trash can outside, along with syringes.
Hallock told officers the steroids allegedly found in the home -- approximately 122 grams with packaging -- were from the last time he "got busted" and he had yet to dispose of them, according to police.
Story from Trib. com
Police arrested Thomas Sage Hallock last October after probation officers said they found steroids at his home.
The 32-year-old pleaded guilty to the charge in December, and Natrona County District Judge Scott Skavdahl announced his sentence Thursday.
According to a police, Hallock, after learning that probation and parole officers were at his residence in October, called his girlfriend and told her to go home and throw several fluid-filled vials in the trash. Probation officers waiting outside the residence watched the woman throw several vials, some of which were labeled "testosterone," into a trash can outside, along with syringes.
Hallock told officers the steroids allegedly found in the home -- approximately 122 grams with packaging -- were from the last time he "got busted" and he had yet to dispose of them, according to police.
Story from Trib. com
Friday, 5 February 2010
Polish bodybuilder dies after ignoring Doctor's advice, steroids blamed rather than his bad decisions.
Marcin Antoni Kladiwo from Salisbury Street, Shotton was a gym enthusiast who was in the process of applying for his door staff licence.
The 29-year-old Polish national had been taking a cocktail of food supplements, protein shakes and steroids before his sudden death on September 25.
John Hughes, coroner for North East Wales, told the inquest at Flint that Mr Kladiwo had a family history of heart disease.
Reading from a statement from girlfriend Christina Place, Mr Hughes said: “Marcin was very fit and he trained three times a week. He was conscious of what he ate and he didn’t drink alcohol. He drank protein shakes and took vitamin pills and also took steroids.”
The court heard Mr Kladiwo began injecting himself with steroids in February last year but switched to a tablet form after he complained of abdominal pains.
Mr Hughes added: “The first time Marcin injected himself with steroids, he felt unwell and his face was red.
“His eyes were bloodshot and he said he had taken double the dose.
“We went to bed and at four o’clock in the morning he woke up and asked for a sandwich. He said his heart was racing and he thought he was having a heart attack.”
An ambulance took Mr Kladiwo to Wrexham Maelor hospital where he had blood tests.
Hospital staff wanted him to remain on the ward for further tests but Mr Kladiwo discharged himself, the court heard.
“He was at home in Shotton on the day he died,” said Mr Hughes. “His brother Adrian had a phone call from Marcin to say he was feeling unwell. Adrian came home to the house they shared and saw that Marcin was vomiting in the toilet and was pale and sweaty.
“His brother called an ambulance and as paramedics were speaking to Marcin, he collapsed on the floor.”
Mr Kladiwo was rushed to the Countess of Chester hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Forensic officers discovered a number of supplements in his bedroom, including a bag of loose brown capsules in his bedside drawer that could not be identified.
Giving evidence Dr Will Kenyon, who performed a post mortem examination, confirmed the cause of death was a heart attack due to steroid abuse.
Mr Hughes, who recorded an accidental death verdict, said: “Often for weight lifters, they take steroids to bulk themselves up. We can never know how many steroids Marcin took because we we’re never there to see.
“He clearly had difficulties with his heart but the steroid abuse was the ultimate factor here.
"I don’t think for one second that he intended to take his own life, but he must have appreciated what he was doing.”
Story from Britain's Leader Live.
The 29-year-old Polish national had been taking a cocktail of food supplements, protein shakes and steroids before his sudden death on September 25.
John Hughes, coroner for North East Wales, told the inquest at Flint that Mr Kladiwo had a family history of heart disease.
Reading from a statement from girlfriend Christina Place, Mr Hughes said: “Marcin was very fit and he trained three times a week. He was conscious of what he ate and he didn’t drink alcohol. He drank protein shakes and took vitamin pills and also took steroids.”
The court heard Mr Kladiwo began injecting himself with steroids in February last year but switched to a tablet form after he complained of abdominal pains.
Mr Hughes added: “The first time Marcin injected himself with steroids, he felt unwell and his face was red.
“His eyes were bloodshot and he said he had taken double the dose.
“We went to bed and at four o’clock in the morning he woke up and asked for a sandwich. He said his heart was racing and he thought he was having a heart attack.”
An ambulance took Mr Kladiwo to Wrexham Maelor hospital where he had blood tests.
Hospital staff wanted him to remain on the ward for further tests but Mr Kladiwo discharged himself, the court heard.
“He was at home in Shotton on the day he died,” said Mr Hughes. “His brother Adrian had a phone call from Marcin to say he was feeling unwell. Adrian came home to the house they shared and saw that Marcin was vomiting in the toilet and was pale and sweaty.
“His brother called an ambulance and as paramedics were speaking to Marcin, he collapsed on the floor.”
Mr Kladiwo was rushed to the Countess of Chester hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Forensic officers discovered a number of supplements in his bedroom, including a bag of loose brown capsules in his bedside drawer that could not be identified.
Giving evidence Dr Will Kenyon, who performed a post mortem examination, confirmed the cause of death was a heart attack due to steroid abuse.
Mr Hughes, who recorded an accidental death verdict, said: “Often for weight lifters, they take steroids to bulk themselves up. We can never know how many steroids Marcin took because we we’re never there to see.
“He clearly had difficulties with his heart but the steroid abuse was the ultimate factor here.
"I don’t think for one second that he intended to take his own life, but he must have appreciated what he was doing.”
Story from Britain's Leader Live.
British anti-doping authorities to give athletes biological passports for 2012.
British anti-doping authorities will issue the country's athletes with so-called biological passports in an effort to further deter the use of banned substances in the lead up to the London 2012 Olympics.
UK Anti-Doping announced the scheme, which is similar to the one used by the International Cycling Union to monitor professional riders, on Friday in collaboration with the WADA-accredited laboratory at King's College London.
The King's College London Drug Control Centre is the only lab in Britain accredited by the World Anti-Doping Agency.
Traditional anti-doping tests compare the level of substances in samples against the average across an entire population. The new system of blood tests enables scientists to measure results against athletes' individual norms to spot unusual readings.
Story from the Canadian Press via google.
UK Anti-Doping announced the scheme, which is similar to the one used by the International Cycling Union to monitor professional riders, on Friday in collaboration with the WADA-accredited laboratory at King's College London.
The King's College London Drug Control Centre is the only lab in Britain accredited by the World Anti-Doping Agency.
Traditional anti-doping tests compare the level of substances in samples against the average across an entire population. The new system of blood tests enables scientists to measure results against athletes' individual norms to spot unusual readings.
Story from the Canadian Press via google.
Irish customs seized 42,000 tablets in 2009 internet drug clampdown.
More than 42,000 potentially illegal and harmful tablets were seized by health chiefs, gardai and customs last year, it was revealed today.
The Irish Medicines Board (IMB) said the haul was recovered after authorities joined an Interpol clampdown on internet drugs suppliers for the second year running.
The Operation Pangea II week of action in November targeted the online sale of counterfeit and illicit medicines in 24 countries.
“When you purchase medicinal products online there is no way of knowing whether they contain what they claim,” he said.
“At best you are wasting your money but the real risk is that you could be taking something which has not enough medicine in it to treat your condition or it could contain too much medicine or other ingredients which could seriously damage your health.”
The IMB’s annual report for 2009 revealed the number of enforcement cases launched over breaches in medicines law more than doubled on the previous year.
At the end of 2009 it had 3,037 cases on its books compared to 1,397 a year earlier.
The IMB said the increase was down to improved co-operation between customs, gardai and the board as they targeted illegal internet suppliers.
Two websites, linked to the online trade and hosted by businesses in Dublin and Kerry, were shut down in 2009 as part of Operation Pangea.
That year a total of 299,053 tablets, 55,789 capsules, 24 litres of liquids and 36.5kg of creams were seized by the IMB.
Story from IOL. ie
The Irish Medicines Board (IMB) said the haul was recovered after authorities joined an Interpol clampdown on internet drugs suppliers for the second year running.
The Operation Pangea II week of action in November targeted the online sale of counterfeit and illicit medicines in 24 countries.
“When you purchase medicinal products online there is no way of knowing whether they contain what they claim,” he said.
“At best you are wasting your money but the real risk is that you could be taking something which has not enough medicine in it to treat your condition or it could contain too much medicine or other ingredients which could seriously damage your health.”
The IMB’s annual report for 2009 revealed the number of enforcement cases launched over breaches in medicines law more than doubled on the previous year.
At the end of 2009 it had 3,037 cases on its books compared to 1,397 a year earlier.
The IMB said the increase was down to improved co-operation between customs, gardai and the board as they targeted illegal internet suppliers.
Two websites, linked to the online trade and hosted by businesses in Dublin and Kerry, were shut down in 2009 as part of Operation Pangea.
That year a total of 299,053 tablets, 55,789 capsules, 24 litres of liquids and 36.5kg of creams were seized by the IMB.
Story from IOL. ie
American drug counterfeiter gets 9 years in prison.
A former Weston millionaire who headed a group that peddled tens of millions of dollars in counterfeit prescription drugs nationwide was sentenced Friday to nine years in state prison.
Michael Carlow, 57, had pleaded guilty to racketeering, fraud and 17 other counts in connection with selling adulterated cancer, HIV and other drugs into mainstream pharmacy supplies, including $42 million worth of bogus cholesterol drug Lipitor. The volume of activity touched off a statewide crackdown on the wholesale drug trade in South Florida.
Broward Circuit Judge Carlos Rodriguez sentenced Carlow to the jail time, plus 10 years probation and a $40,000 fine, said Oscar Gelpi of the Office of Statewide Prosecution. Carlow has been in jail since his 20-person ring was busted in 2003, on the state charges and related federal charges in Missouri.
His mother-in-law and brother-in-law, who were charged with being part of the operation, are set for trial in March.
Story from Florida's Sun Sentinel.
Michael Carlow, 57, had pleaded guilty to racketeering, fraud and 17 other counts in connection with selling adulterated cancer, HIV and other drugs into mainstream pharmacy supplies, including $42 million worth of bogus cholesterol drug Lipitor. The volume of activity touched off a statewide crackdown on the wholesale drug trade in South Florida.
Broward Circuit Judge Carlos Rodriguez sentenced Carlow to the jail time, plus 10 years probation and a $40,000 fine, said Oscar Gelpi of the Office of Statewide Prosecution. Carlow has been in jail since his 20-person ring was busted in 2003, on the state charges and related federal charges in Missouri.
His mother-in-law and brother-in-law, who were charged with being part of the operation, are set for trial in March.
Story from Florida's Sun Sentinel.
Bodybuilder Anthony Cuppari pleads guilty.
A key figure arrested in connection with an illegal steroid manufacturing and distribution ring in the Hanovers and Florham Park pleaded guilty today to distributing steroids to a juvenile and distributing cocaine to an adult.
Bodybuilder Anthony Cuppari, 27, of East Hanover, now faces being sentenced on April 9 to up to 10 years in prison.
Cuppari was among 16 people arrested in March 2007 in a case stemming from an investigation that began in November 2006. That probe centered on Cuppari and his best friend, Michael Dente, also a bodybuilder of East Hanover, and their charges included using Dente's basement to manufacture the steroids, authorities have said.
Cuppari is the last of the group to have entered a guilty plea in the case during the past two years.
The only other co-defendant whose sentencing is pending, professional bodybuilder Jason Arntz of South Brunswick, who pleaded guilty last month to conspiracy to manufacture steroids.
Arntz had provided the expertise for manufacturing the steroids, although Cuppari and Dente also got information off the Web, authorities had said.
But Cuppari, a personal trainer who had been a volunteer assistant Hanover Park high school football coach, is the only one of the group who pleaded guilty to distributing steroids to a minor, and the only one to face an enhanced penalty. Cuppari pleaded guilty to a pair of third-degree charges: distribution of anabolic steroids to a juvenile and conspiracy to distribute one gram of cocaine to his then-girlfriend, an adult.
The juvenile, a then-17-year-old member of the Hanover Park High football team, also had been accused of buying gamma hydroxybuterate (GHB) from Cuppari, authorities had said.
Story from NJ. com
Bodybuilder Anthony Cuppari, 27, of East Hanover, now faces being sentenced on April 9 to up to 10 years in prison.
Cuppari was among 16 people arrested in March 2007 in a case stemming from an investigation that began in November 2006. That probe centered on Cuppari and his best friend, Michael Dente, also a bodybuilder of East Hanover, and their charges included using Dente's basement to manufacture the steroids, authorities have said.
Cuppari is the last of the group to have entered a guilty plea in the case during the past two years.
The only other co-defendant whose sentencing is pending, professional bodybuilder Jason Arntz of South Brunswick, who pleaded guilty last month to conspiracy to manufacture steroids.
Arntz had provided the expertise for manufacturing the steroids, although Cuppari and Dente also got information off the Web, authorities had said.
But Cuppari, a personal trainer who had been a volunteer assistant Hanover Park high school football coach, is the only one of the group who pleaded guilty to distributing steroids to a minor, and the only one to face an enhanced penalty. Cuppari pleaded guilty to a pair of third-degree charges: distribution of anabolic steroids to a juvenile and conspiracy to distribute one gram of cocaine to his then-girlfriend, an adult.
The juvenile, a then-17-year-old member of the Hanover Park High football team, also had been accused of buying gamma hydroxybuterate (GHB) from Cuppari, authorities had said.
Story from NJ. com
Mobile steroids case in jury's hands; pharmacy accused of supplying star athletes.
The jury in a Mobile steroids case began deliberating Wednesday after hearing from the last two lawyers.
Attorneys for two of the men accused of helping to orchestrate a nationwide conspiracy centered on a Mobile compounding pharmacy told jurors during closing arguments that their clients could not be held responsible for the conduct of three doctors who prescribed anabolic steroids.
Brett W. Branch, who previously worked as a salesman for Applied Pharmacy Services in Mobile, later founded a company called Infinite Health in Eaton, Colo.
According to testimony at the trial, Infinite Health paid three doctors, Kelly Wade Tucker, Kenneth M. Olds and Scott A. Corliss, to write prescriptions for steroids to customers that Branch recruited from gyms, spas and health clubs. Among Infinite Health's customers, according to testimony, was the police chief of Cheyenne, Wyo.
But Branch's attorney, Dennis Knizley, said his client ran a legitimate business and that the decision to prescribe steroids rested with the physicians, who conducted physicals and blood tests of the buyers.
"It is uncontroverted that these doctors were respected. They were real doctors with real patients," Knizley said. "It is uncontroverted that these doctors wrote these prescriptions of their own discretion."
Attorney Richard Alexander struck a similar note on behalf of his client, Ronald E. Winter, a Colorado sheriff's deputy who originally sought treatment for a bad back and ended up becoming a part owner and employee of Branch's company.
"Ron Winter is not a doctor. He's not a pharmacist. He's a layman," Alexander said. "How in the world would he know there was something wrong with that prescription?"
According to evidence at the trial, Branch earned commissions for steroids customers that he referred to Applied Pharmacy.
His ex-wife testified that his commitment to steroids ran so deep that he was prepared to inject his own children with steroids -- to help his 13-year-old daughter perform better in volleyball and prevent his 11-year-old boy from being chubby.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Donna Dobbins told jurors Wednesday that the defendants constructed a series of sham memos and meetings to make it appear as though they were complying with the law.
"It's not what the defendants said, it's what they did," she said.
Story from AL .com
Attorneys for two of the men accused of helping to orchestrate a nationwide conspiracy centered on a Mobile compounding pharmacy told jurors during closing arguments that their clients could not be held responsible for the conduct of three doctors who prescribed anabolic steroids.
Brett W. Branch, who previously worked as a salesman for Applied Pharmacy Services in Mobile, later founded a company called Infinite Health in Eaton, Colo.
According to testimony at the trial, Infinite Health paid three doctors, Kelly Wade Tucker, Kenneth M. Olds and Scott A. Corliss, to write prescriptions for steroids to customers that Branch recruited from gyms, spas and health clubs. Among Infinite Health's customers, according to testimony, was the police chief of Cheyenne, Wyo.
But Branch's attorney, Dennis Knizley, said his client ran a legitimate business and that the decision to prescribe steroids rested with the physicians, who conducted physicals and blood tests of the buyers.
"It is uncontroverted that these doctors were respected. They were real doctors with real patients," Knizley said. "It is uncontroverted that these doctors wrote these prescriptions of their own discretion."
Attorney Richard Alexander struck a similar note on behalf of his client, Ronald E. Winter, a Colorado sheriff's deputy who originally sought treatment for a bad back and ended up becoming a part owner and employee of Branch's company.
"Ron Winter is not a doctor. He's not a pharmacist. He's a layman," Alexander said. "How in the world would he know there was something wrong with that prescription?"
According to evidence at the trial, Branch earned commissions for steroids customers that he referred to Applied Pharmacy.
His ex-wife testified that his commitment to steroids ran so deep that he was prepared to inject his own children with steroids -- to help his 13-year-old daughter perform better in volleyball and prevent his 11-year-old boy from being chubby.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Donna Dobbins told jurors Wednesday that the defendants constructed a series of sham memos and meetings to make it appear as though they were complying with the law.
"It's not what the defendants said, it's what they did," she said.
Story from AL .com
High altitude causes weight loss without exercise.
Just a week at high altitudes can cause sustained weight loss, suggesting that a mountain retreat could be a viable strategy for slimming down.
Overweight, sedentary people who spent a week at an elevation of 8,700 feet lost weight while eating as much as they wanted and doing no exercise. A month after they came back down, they had kept two-thirds of those pounds off. The results appear in the Feb. 4 Obesity.
“What is nice about this paper, is that it clearly demonstrates that there’s a lasting effect of decreased caloric intake, that people eat less even a month after they come out of high altitude,” said Massachusetts General Hospital anesthesiologist Kay Leissner, who studies high altitude physiology, but was not involved in the study.
Story from Wired Magazine.
Overweight, sedentary people who spent a week at an elevation of 8,700 feet lost weight while eating as much as they wanted and doing no exercise. A month after they came back down, they had kept two-thirds of those pounds off. The results appear in the Feb. 4 Obesity.
“What is nice about this paper, is that it clearly demonstrates that there’s a lasting effect of decreased caloric intake, that people eat less even a month after they come out of high altitude,” said Massachusetts General Hospital anesthesiologist Kay Leissner, who studies high altitude physiology, but was not involved in the study.
Story from Wired Magazine.
Politician's ex-wife accuses him of steroid and creatine use :-)
Gov. Quinn's embattled running mate, Scott Lee Cohen, allegedly abused anabolic steroids, displayed fits of rage and forced himself sexually on his ex-wife before their divorce, court documents reviewed by the Chicago Sun-Times show.
Those explosive allegations about Cohen’s "erratic" behavior come from his ex-wife and are contained in the couple's divorce file in legal documents that were part of an order of protection she sought in 2005.
The woman described life with the millionaire pawnbroker as "pretty unbearable" and said that she lived "in constant fear of him," according to the court records.
"Over the past year, my husband has been taking injectable anabolic steroids, including but not limited to Winstrol, Cretine, and Steen. And as a result, he has an erratic, explosive temper," she alleged.
Story from Chicago's Sun Times.
Those explosive allegations about Cohen’s "erratic" behavior come from his ex-wife and are contained in the couple's divorce file in legal documents that were part of an order of protection she sought in 2005.
The woman described life with the millionaire pawnbroker as "pretty unbearable" and said that she lived "in constant fear of him," according to the court records.
"Over the past year, my husband has been taking injectable anabolic steroids, including but not limited to Winstrol, Cretine, and Steen. And as a result, he has an erratic, explosive temper," she alleged.
Story from Chicago's Sun Times.
Wednesday, 3 February 2010
Steroids used as an excuse for speed addiction in British court case.
"As a very young man he was a bodybuilder and he took steroids to put on bulk. At the same time he took amphetamine because when you reduce the steroids it keeps excess weight off. Twenty years down the line he now finds he has a physical dependence on it."
Veterinary surgeon from Essex, UK in trouble due to dodgy steroid prescriptions.
The Disciplinary Committee heard evidence from a pharmacist, Mr Noble, to whom Mr Lockyear had presented an incomplete veterinary prescription for 12 ampoules of Sustanon, a prescription-only anabolic steroid for humans, and a further pharmacist, Mr Foskett MRPharmS, who outlined his suspicions that the steroids were in fact for Mr Lockyear's personal use (Sustanon is a substance which can potentially be misused in relation to body-building). Mr Lockyear had originally claimed the drugs were for general stock at the practice; he later returned with a second prescription, for double the amount of Sustanon, claiming it was for his own dog; later again, he said the prescription was for a friend's dog.
The dangers of DIY Botox.
EXCLUSIVE The number of people wanting cosmetic procedures is rocketing and some are even injecting themselves with cut-price drugs bought online. But they could end up paying dearly.
Don't try this at home. Buying black market Botox online and injecting yourself could seriously harm your looks or endanger your life.
And yet those in search of cut-price, wrinkle-smoothing shots are turning to the internet for cheap DIY filler kits - often with devastating results.
Paralysis, lop-sided lips, droopy eyelids, blistered and infected facial sores and even admission to intensive care are some of things that can happen after using dodgy jabs.
Doctors fear it is only a matter of time before someone pays for budget Botox with their life.
Dr Aamer Khan, of London's Harley Street Medical Skin Clinic, trains medical practitioners to use cosmetic drugs such as Botox. But he believes people are blind to its potentially deadly effects and see only the knock-down price.
"The first thing to say about Botulinum-A Toxin (Botox) is that it is the most toxic substance known to mankind," says Dr Khan. "One teaspoon could kill 90 billion people. It could wipe out the world's population, which is why it was considered a biological weapon.
Yourlife: Botox
"Botox has become part of our culture because it's used cosmetically, but it's used in tiny, strictly-measured doses and is stringently tested. Using it without anatomical knowledge, without knowing the exact quality of the product, could be fatal."
In the UK it is illegal to advertise prescription-only medications like Botox, and to sell them without a prescription. But foreign websites can dodge the ban. And after a few clicks on a computer, vials of facial filler drugs complete with syringes can be shipped to your door.
Online pharmacy ads do their best to lure customers, with slogans such as "Wrinkles? No! Savings? Yes!".
They give false assurances that injecting yourself is easy as well as economical. Don't know where to stick the syringe? A facial map and online video will point out where to position your needle. Can't afford the £200-a-shot clinic prices? Buy a kit online for five times cheaper at £350 for 10 DIY jabs.
But what the sites don't state is that many users go on to spend fortunes with qualified surgeons to correct their botched efforts.
Story from Briton's Mirror Newspaper.
Don't try this at home. Buying black market Botox online and injecting yourself could seriously harm your looks or endanger your life.
And yet those in search of cut-price, wrinkle-smoothing shots are turning to the internet for cheap DIY filler kits - often with devastating results.
Paralysis, lop-sided lips, droopy eyelids, blistered and infected facial sores and even admission to intensive care are some of things that can happen after using dodgy jabs.
Doctors fear it is only a matter of time before someone pays for budget Botox with their life.
Dr Aamer Khan, of London's Harley Street Medical Skin Clinic, trains medical practitioners to use cosmetic drugs such as Botox. But he believes people are blind to its potentially deadly effects and see only the knock-down price.
"The first thing to say about Botulinum-A Toxin (Botox) is that it is the most toxic substance known to mankind," says Dr Khan. "One teaspoon could kill 90 billion people. It could wipe out the world's population, which is why it was considered a biological weapon.
Yourlife: Botox
"Botox has become part of our culture because it's used cosmetically, but it's used in tiny, strictly-measured doses and is stringently tested. Using it without anatomical knowledge, without knowing the exact quality of the product, could be fatal."
In the UK it is illegal to advertise prescription-only medications like Botox, and to sell them without a prescription. But foreign websites can dodge the ban. And after a few clicks on a computer, vials of facial filler drugs complete with syringes can be shipped to your door.
Online pharmacy ads do their best to lure customers, with slogans such as "Wrinkles? No! Savings? Yes!".
They give false assurances that injecting yourself is easy as well as economical. Don't know where to stick the syringe? A facial map and online video will point out where to position your needle. Can't afford the £200-a-shot clinic prices? Buy a kit online for five times cheaper at £350 for 10 DIY jabs.
But what the sites don't state is that many users go on to spend fortunes with qualified surgeons to correct their botched efforts.
Story from Briton's Mirror Newspaper.
Prolor reports positive results in long acting human growth hormone trial.
Drug development company Prolor Biotech Inc. (Bulletin Board: PBTH) today reported positive results from the Phase I clinical trial of its longer-acting version of human growth hormone (hGH-CTP), meeting all safety and tolerability endpoints. The study examined the drug's potential durability (half-life), biological efficacy, and its safety and tolerability.
The trial includes 24 healthy adults who receive one of three doses of hGH-CTP (4mg, 7mg, or 21mg) or a placebo. The potential clinical efficacy of the drug was assessed by measuring the extent to which it induced insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) in the subjects. This biomarker is the clinically accepted primary indicator of hGH biological activity and is used by endocrinologists to optimize dosing for hGH-deficient adults. Based on this measure, the study results suggest that the daily injections required by patients using conventional hGH could potentially be replaced with just two monthly injections of hGH-CTP.
The trial includes 24 healthy adults who receive one of three doses of hGH-CTP (4mg, 7mg, or 21mg) or a placebo. The potential clinical efficacy of the drug was assessed by measuring the extent to which it induced insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) in the subjects. This biomarker is the clinically accepted primary indicator of hGH biological activity and is used by endocrinologists to optimize dosing for hGH-deficient adults. Based on this measure, the study results suggest that the daily injections required by patients using conventional hGH could potentially be replaced with just two monthly injections of hGH-CTP.
Jury finds Cleveland police officer guilty of buying steroids illegally.
A jury found Cleveland police Lt. Anthony Tuleta guilty Tuesday of drug possession and theft for illegally purchasing steroids over the Internet and billing his insurance company.
Tuleta, 51, bought the from Dr. Ramon Scruggs, 62, of Santa Ana, Calif., and submitted bills totaling $95,000 to Medical Mutual.
Tuleta was found guilty by a Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court jury of all charges -- six counts of drug possession and one count of theft. He was suspended in November without pay from his job after 27 years with the police department. He faces dismissal at a meeting with the Public Safety Director Martin Flask. The meeting had not been scheduled as of Tuesday afternoon.
Tuleta faces up to 24 years in prison when he is sentenced on March 11 by Judge John O'Donnell.
Scruggs was sentenced last month to three years in prison for prescribing steroids for non-medical reasons. He did so from January 2003 through June 2007, Assistant County Prosecutor James Gutierrez said.
Scruggs pleaded guilty to five counts of drug trafficking.
Former Cleveland firefighter Craig Romey, 39, also bought steroids from Scruggs and billed Medical Mutual. He served 30 days of probation after pleading guilty in May to drug possession.
His driver's license was suspended until Nov. 14. He paid back $22,355 to Medical Mutual and now lives in Las Vegas, according to court records.
Story from Cleveland. com
Tuleta, 51, bought the from Dr. Ramon Scruggs, 62, of Santa Ana, Calif., and submitted bills totaling $95,000 to Medical Mutual.
Tuleta was found guilty by a Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court jury of all charges -- six counts of drug possession and one count of theft. He was suspended in November without pay from his job after 27 years with the police department. He faces dismissal at a meeting with the Public Safety Director Martin Flask. The meeting had not been scheduled as of Tuesday afternoon.
Tuleta faces up to 24 years in prison when he is sentenced on March 11 by Judge John O'Donnell.
Scruggs was sentenced last month to three years in prison for prescribing steroids for non-medical reasons. He did so from January 2003 through June 2007, Assistant County Prosecutor James Gutierrez said.
Scruggs pleaded guilty to five counts of drug trafficking.
Former Cleveland firefighter Craig Romey, 39, also bought steroids from Scruggs and billed Medical Mutual. He served 30 days of probation after pleading guilty in May to drug possession.
His driver's license was suspended until Nov. 14. He paid back $22,355 to Medical Mutual and now lives in Las Vegas, according to court records.
Story from Cleveland. com
Mobile steroids trial nearing end; Applied Pharmacy charged with supplying star athletes.
It included doctors who agreed to write sham prescriptions and dealers who lured customers looking for shortcuts to buffed bodies, a federal prosecutor in Mobile told jurors during closing arguments in a steroids case today.
The lynchpin in the whole conspiracy, Assistant U.S. Attorney Donna Dobbins argued, was a compounding pharmacy in Mobile where owners reaped millions of dollars in profits by engaging in "illegal and far-reaching" conduct from 2003 until August 2006.
"Each one of them participated in this conspiracy," she said. "They operated a steroid mill, and they would dispense anabolic steroids to anyone whose credit card was good."
Dobbins reminded jurors of testimony that the company made millions of dollars by selling anabolic steroids -- including some that have been approved only for use in livestock -- to customers came from 41 states.
They ranged from star athletes like former major league baseball slugger Jose Canseco and Olympic gold medal wrestler Kurt Angle to teenagers. Dobbins pointed to testimony from a former employee suggesting that Applied Pharmacy's secretary and part owner, Jason R. Kelley, was well aware of the potential legal problems.
Story from AL. com
The lynchpin in the whole conspiracy, Assistant U.S. Attorney Donna Dobbins argued, was a compounding pharmacy in Mobile where owners reaped millions of dollars in profits by engaging in "illegal and far-reaching" conduct from 2003 until August 2006.
"Each one of them participated in this conspiracy," she said. "They operated a steroid mill, and they would dispense anabolic steroids to anyone whose credit card was good."
Dobbins reminded jurors of testimony that the company made millions of dollars by selling anabolic steroids -- including some that have been approved only for use in livestock -- to customers came from 41 states.
They ranged from star athletes like former major league baseball slugger Jose Canseco and Olympic gold medal wrestler Kurt Angle to teenagers. Dobbins pointed to testimony from a former employee suggesting that Applied Pharmacy's secretary and part owner, Jason R. Kelley, was well aware of the potential legal problems.
Story from AL. com
College Pharmacy ex-owner / operator convicted.
The former owner of a Colorado Springs pharmacy has been convicted of illegally importing and distributing anabolic steroids and Chinese-made human growth hormones.
A federal jury deliberated for parts of three days before convicting Thomas Bader on 31 counts Tuesday. The charges included conspiracy and the distribution of human growth hormones. Bader is expected to be sentenced April 29.
Prosecutors say that while Bader was the owner and operator of College Pharmacy he sold anabolic steroids and growth hormones from China that were not approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
Jurors said that Bader should forfeit $4.8 million in assets and the land where the pharmacy was located.
Story from KKTV. com
A federal jury deliberated for parts of three days before convicting Thomas Bader on 31 counts Tuesday. The charges included conspiracy and the distribution of human growth hormones. Bader is expected to be sentenced April 29.
Prosecutors say that while Bader was the owner and operator of College Pharmacy he sold anabolic steroids and growth hormones from China that were not approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
Jurors said that Bader should forfeit $4.8 million in assets and the land where the pharmacy was located.
Story from KKTV. com
Tuesday, 2 February 2010
Peptide based obesity teatment in development.
"The body is extremely efficient at controlling energy balance," says Seeley, a professor in UC's internal medicine department and recipient of the 2009 Outstanding Scientific Achievement Award from the American Diabetes Association.
"Think of fat tissue like a bathtub," he says. "To keep the amount of water the same, you have to make sure that the speed of the water coming in and the water going out match. If the water is coming in faster than the water is going out, eventually you have to build a bigger bathtub.
"Obesity is the same. People who eat more calories than they burn have to build a bigger fat tissue 'bathtub,' and building new blood vessels is crucial to building this bigger bathtub. For each additional pound of fat tissue, you need to build a mile of blood vessels.
"What we found is that if we can target these fat tissue blood vessels, animals eat less and lose weight as their 'bathtubs' get smaller."
Seeley and his team treated lean and obese mice and rats with the proapoptotic peptide for periods of four or 27 days. They measured energy intake and expenditure daily in all animals -- some on low-fat diets, others on high-fat diets. The team found that the peptide completely reversed high-fat-diet-induced obesity in already obese mice and also reduced body weight in the mice and rats placed on high-fat diets. No changes were recorded in animals on low-fat diets.
Seeley's team found that fat loss was occurring without major changes to energy expenditure, but with reduced food intake. The authors noted that there were no signs of illness with this treatment and results were independent of the actions of the appetite-controlling hormone leptin.
Story from Science Daily .Com
"Think of fat tissue like a bathtub," he says. "To keep the amount of water the same, you have to make sure that the speed of the water coming in and the water going out match. If the water is coming in faster than the water is going out, eventually you have to build a bigger bathtub.
"Obesity is the same. People who eat more calories than they burn have to build a bigger fat tissue 'bathtub,' and building new blood vessels is crucial to building this bigger bathtub. For each additional pound of fat tissue, you need to build a mile of blood vessels.
"What we found is that if we can target these fat tissue blood vessels, animals eat less and lose weight as their 'bathtubs' get smaller."
Seeley and his team treated lean and obese mice and rats with the proapoptotic peptide for periods of four or 27 days. They measured energy intake and expenditure daily in all animals -- some on low-fat diets, others on high-fat diets. The team found that the peptide completely reversed high-fat-diet-induced obesity in already obese mice and also reduced body weight in the mice and rats placed on high-fat diets. No changes were recorded in animals on low-fat diets.
Seeley's team found that fat loss was occurring without major changes to energy expenditure, but with reduced food intake. The authors noted that there were no signs of illness with this treatment and results were independent of the actions of the appetite-controlling hormone leptin.
Story from Science Daily .Com
Repros Therapeutics makes Androxal / Enclomiphene announcement.
Repros Therapeutics Inc. today announced that the Company has received verbal confirmation from the Division of Metabolic and Endocrine Drug Products of the Food and Drug Agency that the Company may initiate its Investigational New Drug Application for the study of oral Androxal in the treatment of hypogonadal men with Type II Diabetes (T2D) with a Phase IIa trial.
Story from EarthTimes. org
Story from EarthTimes. org
Vitamin D 'boosts men's Testosterone levels'.
Testosterone levels in men's blood rise accordingly with doses of vitamin D. The vital nutrient is produced in the body after exposure to sunlight and can also be obtained from eating oily fish and meat.
Researchers at the Medical University of Graz in Austria found men with more vitamin D per millilitre of blood had much more of the main male sexual hormone circulating than those with less. And the average amount of testosterone over the course of the year was subject to the same fluctuations as the vitamin D level.
Both decrease from October - at the beginning of the winter months - and reach their lowest level in March because of the weaker solar radiation during this period.
Ad Brand, spokesman of the Sunlight Research Forum in Veldhoven in the Netherlands, said: "Men who ensure their body is at least sufficiently supplied with vitamin D are doing good for their testosterone levels and their libido among other things." The new findings back up previous research that found an hour of sunshine can boost a man's testosterone by 69 percent.
Stimulated by UV radiation, 90 per cent of vitamin D in the body is produced by the skin. An average vitamin D level of 30 nanograms per millilitre of blood (30 ng/ml) represents the scientific value from which vitamin D has a sufficiently positive effect. Optimal values are between 40 and 60 ng/ml.
Story from Briton's Telegraph Newspaper.
Researchers at the Medical University of Graz in Austria found men with more vitamin D per millilitre of blood had much more of the main male sexual hormone circulating than those with less. And the average amount of testosterone over the course of the year was subject to the same fluctuations as the vitamin D level.
Both decrease from October - at the beginning of the winter months - and reach their lowest level in March because of the weaker solar radiation during this period.
Ad Brand, spokesman of the Sunlight Research Forum in Veldhoven in the Netherlands, said: "Men who ensure their body is at least sufficiently supplied with vitamin D are doing good for their testosterone levels and their libido among other things." The new findings back up previous research that found an hour of sunshine can boost a man's testosterone by 69 percent.
Stimulated by UV radiation, 90 per cent of vitamin D in the body is produced by the skin. An average vitamin D level of 30 nanograms per millilitre of blood (30 ng/ml) represents the scientific value from which vitamin D has a sufficiently positive effect. Optimal values are between 40 and 60 ng/ml.
Story from Briton's Telegraph Newspaper.
Sunday, 31 January 2010
Russian Times Video report on new Steroid laws and RetDomestic.com bust.
In Russia, action against drugs has been taken beyond professional sport and into public gyms, as the winter Olympics approach and doping controls become tougher.
Tougher laws now mean distributors of anabolic steroids could face prison.
Russian sport is no stranger to doping scandals, bringing disqualification for some top-level stars. But the consequences can be even more tragic – as in the case of 19-year-old ice-hockey star Aleksey Cherepanov, who died following a match in October 2008, after using performance-enhancing drugs.
”Of course some sports people want to win the big money and will do anything and use anything to get this,” says Sergey Portugalov, Chief nutritional adviser to the Russian Olympic team.
Action against doping is a top a priority in Russia, with President Medvedev ordering improved drug testing facilities, and Prime Minister Putin signing a decree including a long list of banned substances. But the problem is not only in professional sport.
Steroid use is becoming increasingly prevalent among fitness enthusiasts, eager for the perfect body and willing to take short-cuts and extreme risks in order to achieve it.
Athlete Andrey Popov states that pro athletes are just the tip of the iceberg, while the rest are amateur athletes.
“They are numerous, and many just lack an understanding,” Popov said. “They see pictures and want to emulate the glamorous image. They don’t want to wait ten or twenty years to make the grade. They don’t want to wait even a few months, and thus they start taking the steroids.”
Russia’s State Duma has changed the law, ensuring that not only sportsmen and women are liable for doping offences, but also coaches, doctors and sports federations.
Ivan Elisavetchenko, from the Moscow Service of Medicines’ Legal Control, says that it is trainers in sport clubs who encourage their clients to try drugs.
“They tell people they can get a pill or an injection for a very quick result, so the chain starts,” Elisavetchenko explained. “Consumers buy from trainers, trainers buy from dealers; dealers supply to several trainers; then there are wholesalers.”
Targeting of fitness clubs distributing performance-enhancing drugs has had some success. Not so long ago, steroids could be easily bought online or at gyms.
And whereas in the past, distributors of anabolic steroids were fined or put on probation, recent cases have resulted in prison sentences.
Despite the increased risks and stricter sanctions, however, new, even more-dangerous doping drugs are appearing on the market – which experts say could have potentially horrendous consequences.
The battle against doping in sports is a worldwide one, but with tougher regulations and increased enforcement, Russia is hoping for an end to the culture of “winning at all costs” from athletes risking not only their careers, but also their lives.
Here are two stills from the video, it appears they are Ret's business partners or other big Russian sources they have recently busted ( both are bodybuilders ).
I wonder if like Ret these guys made the mistake of posting their pics online, they sure don't look like stills taken from surveillance videos.
Tougher laws now mean distributors of anabolic steroids could face prison.
Russian sport is no stranger to doping scandals, bringing disqualification for some top-level stars. But the consequences can be even more tragic – as in the case of 19-year-old ice-hockey star Aleksey Cherepanov, who died following a match in October 2008, after using performance-enhancing drugs.
”Of course some sports people want to win the big money and will do anything and use anything to get this,” says Sergey Portugalov, Chief nutritional adviser to the Russian Olympic team.
Action against doping is a top a priority in Russia, with President Medvedev ordering improved drug testing facilities, and Prime Minister Putin signing a decree including a long list of banned substances. But the problem is not only in professional sport.
Steroid use is becoming increasingly prevalent among fitness enthusiasts, eager for the perfect body and willing to take short-cuts and extreme risks in order to achieve it.
Athlete Andrey Popov states that pro athletes are just the tip of the iceberg, while the rest are amateur athletes.
“They are numerous, and many just lack an understanding,” Popov said. “They see pictures and want to emulate the glamorous image. They don’t want to wait ten or twenty years to make the grade. They don’t want to wait even a few months, and thus they start taking the steroids.”
Russia’s State Duma has changed the law, ensuring that not only sportsmen and women are liable for doping offences, but also coaches, doctors and sports federations.
Ivan Elisavetchenko, from the Moscow Service of Medicines’ Legal Control, says that it is trainers in sport clubs who encourage their clients to try drugs.
“They tell people they can get a pill or an injection for a very quick result, so the chain starts,” Elisavetchenko explained. “Consumers buy from trainers, trainers buy from dealers; dealers supply to several trainers; then there are wholesalers.”
Targeting of fitness clubs distributing performance-enhancing drugs has had some success. Not so long ago, steroids could be easily bought online or at gyms.
And whereas in the past, distributors of anabolic steroids were fined or put on probation, recent cases have resulted in prison sentences.
Despite the increased risks and stricter sanctions, however, new, even more-dangerous doping drugs are appearing on the market – which experts say could have potentially horrendous consequences.
The battle against doping in sports is a worldwide one, but with tougher regulations and increased enforcement, Russia is hoping for an end to the culture of “winning at all costs” from athletes risking not only their careers, but also their lives.
Here are two stills from the video, it appears they are Ret's business partners or other big Russian sources they have recently busted ( both are bodybuilders ).
I wonder if like Ret these guys made the mistake of posting their pics online, they sure don't look like stills taken from surveillance videos.
Saturday, 30 January 2010
Crystal Cox has finally admitted that she had to cheat to succeed in track and field.
Crystal Cox cheated in order to win Olympic gold. Crystal Cox finally admitted that she cheated by using steroids in the Olympics, and is now sure to be stripped of her gold medal. A medal that she cheated to gain, and then parlayed into more fame after the Olympics, will likely be taken away from Crystal Cox soon. It's yet another black eye to the U.S. Olympics track and field team, and yet another competitor proving that they are a horrible role model. It's good that Crystal Cox finally admitted that she needed steroids to make herself a good enough runner to compete, but she has again turned a disgruntled eye upon the world of track and field.
Story from AssociatedContent. com
Story from AssociatedContent. com
Estonian man charged in Panama City, Florida's largest steroid bust.
Police on Friday arrested night club owner Toomas Saarva, a 41-year-old Estonia citizen, after seizing more than 1,000 vials of steroids from the Grand Slam bar and Saarva’s home.
The department expects to make more arrests in the case, the largest steroid bust in Parker’s history, Detective Aaron Wilson said.
He said he thinks Saarva, who is in the country with a visitor’s passport, was getting at least some of the steroids from Europe.
The drugs had expiration dates from 2007, Wilson said, but Saarva had covered up the expired labels.
“So, besides injecting an illegal substance, [buyers are] using expired substances, so there may be health issues with that,” Wilson said.
Saarva is being held in Bay County Jail on charges of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute and trafficking in a controlled substance. He will face deportation after court proceedings conclude, Wilson said.
Story from the NewsHerald. com
The Parker Police Department arrested a Parker Night Club owner on drug charges.
Parker Police said, Toomas Saarva, a national from Estonia, was arrested at the Grand Slam Bar located in Parker. Saarva has been charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance with Intent to Distribute and Trafficking in a Controlled Substance.
Police has seized over 1000 vials of steroids which were seized at the bar and at Saarva’s residence in Parker. Detective Aaron Wilson tells NewsChannel 7 "This arrest is the largest steroid bust in Parker's history." Wilson also believes Saarva was trafficking in Expired Steroids from Estonia via mail, and selling them.
It appears that Saarva was in the United States with an Estonian passport as a visitor. Saarva will also be facing deportation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the conclusion of this investigation and court process.
Story from WJHG .com
The department expects to make more arrests in the case, the largest steroid bust in Parker’s history, Detective Aaron Wilson said.
He said he thinks Saarva, who is in the country with a visitor’s passport, was getting at least some of the steroids from Europe.
The drugs had expiration dates from 2007, Wilson said, but Saarva had covered up the expired labels.
“So, besides injecting an illegal substance, [buyers are] using expired substances, so there may be health issues with that,” Wilson said.
Saarva is being held in Bay County Jail on charges of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute and trafficking in a controlled substance. He will face deportation after court proceedings conclude, Wilson said.
Story from the NewsHerald. com
The Parker Police Department arrested a Parker Night Club owner on drug charges.
Parker Police said, Toomas Saarva, a national from Estonia, was arrested at the Grand Slam Bar located in Parker. Saarva has been charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance with Intent to Distribute and Trafficking in a Controlled Substance.
Police has seized over 1000 vials of steroids which were seized at the bar and at Saarva’s residence in Parker. Detective Aaron Wilson tells NewsChannel 7 "This arrest is the largest steroid bust in Parker's history." Wilson also believes Saarva was trafficking in Expired Steroids from Estonia via mail, and selling them.
It appears that Saarva was in the United States with an Estonian passport as a visitor. Saarva will also be facing deportation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the conclusion of this investigation and court process.
Story from WJHG .com
Thursday, 28 January 2010
Two Canadian brothers jailed for UG counterfeit Viagra lab.
Two men in their 60's have been sentenced to 5 years each in jail for creating counterfeit medication. Montrealer Pierre Girouard, 64 and his brother Gilles, 62, from Repentigny, were making methamphetamines, ecstasy, counterfeit Viagra and Cialis.
The RCMP carried out searches in Pointes-aux-Trembles and Repentigny back in 2008...which essentially dismantled the laboratories.
uring the raids, they found almost 200 000 pills, fake drugs and equipment that could be used for large scale manufacturing...the street value of the seizure was estimated to be around 1 million dollars.
The fraudsters were using the logos of companies, to give their pills a level of authenticity...and to fool buyers. The Girouard brothers, who pleaded guilty January 13, 2010, must also pay a fine of $10 000 each.
Story from CJAD .com
The RCMP carried out searches in Pointes-aux-Trembles and Repentigny back in 2008...which essentially dismantled the laboratories.
uring the raids, they found almost 200 000 pills, fake drugs and equipment that could be used for large scale manufacturing...the street value of the seizure was estimated to be around 1 million dollars.
The fraudsters were using the logos of companies, to give their pills a level of authenticity...and to fool buyers. The Girouard brothers, who pleaded guilty January 13, 2010, must also pay a fine of $10 000 each.
Story from CJAD .com
Prosecution rests in Applied Pharmacy Services steroids case.
After nearly a month of testimony, federal prosecutors on Wednesday wrapped up their case against 10 people accused of running a Mobile-based conspiracy to sell steroids across the country.
Special Agent Craig Underwood, a criminal investigator with the IRS, spent parts of two days this week testifying about records seized during an August 2006 raid of Applied Pharmacy Services.
Prosecutors contend that the compounding pharmacy, located on International Drive near Bel Air Mall, shipped thousands of doses of anabolic steroids to customers throughout the country between March 2003 and August 2006.
The owners of the business and pharmacists who work there countered that they had valid prescriptions from licensed physicians.
Chief U.S. District Judge Ginny Granade sent jurors home until Friday, when the defendants will begin their case. Today, the judge will consider arguments that some or all of the nearly 200 counts should be dismissed.
According to Underwood's testimony, pharmacist J. Mallory Mallon told investigators that growth hormones and anabolic steroids made up 60 to 80 percent of the company's business.
Underwood testified that documents seized from Applied Pharmacy contained information about some 1,169 doses of drugs that were left out of records that the company's chief executive officer, A. Samuel Kelley II, turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration in April 2004.
For instance, the agent said, the records given to the DEA made no mention of orders for stanozolol injectable, a steroid that experts have testified is designed for use in livestock and has not been approved for human use.
Under cross-examination, Underwood acknowledged that he had no indication that any of the records kept by Applied Pharmacy had been destroyed or hidden.
Kelley's attorney, Howard Dodd, introduced documents suggesting that Applied Pharmacy had a compliance committee that made reports and recommendations from 2003 to 2006 regarding adhering to laws and regulations.
Underwood conceded that the pharmacy put various doctors on a "do not fill" list and stopped supplying a company called Health Watch after learning it was under investigation.
Dodd also got Underwood to acknowledge that Applied Pharmacy kept records that, in some cases, contained greater detail than required under federal law.
For instance, the pharmacy sometimes required doctors to provide a written explanation of the underlying diagnosis that prompted the prescription. Federal law makes no such requirement, Underwood said.
Story from AL. com
Special Agent Craig Underwood, a criminal investigator with the IRS, spent parts of two days this week testifying about records seized during an August 2006 raid of Applied Pharmacy Services.
Prosecutors contend that the compounding pharmacy, located on International Drive near Bel Air Mall, shipped thousands of doses of anabolic steroids to customers throughout the country between March 2003 and August 2006.
The owners of the business and pharmacists who work there countered that they had valid prescriptions from licensed physicians.
Chief U.S. District Judge Ginny Granade sent jurors home until Friday, when the defendants will begin their case. Today, the judge will consider arguments that some or all of the nearly 200 counts should be dismissed.
According to Underwood's testimony, pharmacist J. Mallory Mallon told investigators that growth hormones and anabolic steroids made up 60 to 80 percent of the company's business.
Underwood testified that documents seized from Applied Pharmacy contained information about some 1,169 doses of drugs that were left out of records that the company's chief executive officer, A. Samuel Kelley II, turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration in April 2004.
For instance, the agent said, the records given to the DEA made no mention of orders for stanozolol injectable, a steroid that experts have testified is designed for use in livestock and has not been approved for human use.
Under cross-examination, Underwood acknowledged that he had no indication that any of the records kept by Applied Pharmacy had been destroyed or hidden.
Kelley's attorney, Howard Dodd, introduced documents suggesting that Applied Pharmacy had a compliance committee that made reports and recommendations from 2003 to 2006 regarding adhering to laws and regulations.
Underwood conceded that the pharmacy put various doctors on a "do not fill" list and stopped supplying a company called Health Watch after learning it was under investigation.
Dodd also got Underwood to acknowledge that Applied Pharmacy kept records that, in some cases, contained greater detail than required under federal law.
For instance, the pharmacy sometimes required doctors to provide a written explanation of the underlying diagnosis that prompted the prescription. Federal law makes no such requirement, Underwood said.
Story from AL. com
Operation Storm II targets Asian counterfeiters.
Police have seized 20 million counterfeit or illegal medical products in cross-border operations in South East Asia, arrested 30 people and closed down more than 100 pharmacies and illicit drug outlets, Interpol said Wednesday.
The operation, dubbed Operation Storm II, was carried out in eight countries -- Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam -- between July and November last year under the framework of the World Health Organization's International Medical Products Anti-counterfeiting Task Force.
The seized products included antibiotics, anti-malarial and birth control medicines, anti-tetanus serums, aspirin and erectile dysfunction drugs.
Twelve million of them were fake and the best before date of eight million had either lapsed or the medical drugs had been otherwise altered.
Interpol's Secretary General Ronald Noble said a Storm network would be set up in South East Asia to organise and improve crackdowns on counterfeit products.
"This collaborative response is all the more important when globalization and modern technology mean that the methods of producing and distributing counterfeit medicines cut across borders and are developing and increasing, thereby posing an increased threat to people's health and lives."
Story from the AFP.
Most big operations follow a two or three year cycle, yet part I of Storm went down in November 2008, that's just 14 months ago :-(
I'm sure more information and pictures from Operation Storm II will surface in the next few days.
The operation, dubbed Operation Storm II, was carried out in eight countries -- Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam -- between July and November last year under the framework of the World Health Organization's International Medical Products Anti-counterfeiting Task Force.
The seized products included antibiotics, anti-malarial and birth control medicines, anti-tetanus serums, aspirin and erectile dysfunction drugs.
Twelve million of them were fake and the best before date of eight million had either lapsed or the medical drugs had been otherwise altered.
Interpol's Secretary General Ronald Noble said a Storm network would be set up in South East Asia to organise and improve crackdowns on counterfeit products.
"This collaborative response is all the more important when globalization and modern technology mean that the methods of producing and distributing counterfeit medicines cut across borders and are developing and increasing, thereby posing an increased threat to people's health and lives."
Story from the AFP.
Most big operations follow a two or three year cycle, yet part I of Storm went down in November 2008, that's just 14 months ago :-(
I'm sure more information and pictures from Operation Storm II will surface in the next few days.
Repros receives guidance from FDA regarding Androxal / Enclomiphene Citrate share price soars.
Repros Therapeutics Inc said the U.S. health regulators asked the company to propose a label that better defines the population of individuals who will benefit from the use its male-infertility drug Androxal, sending its shares soaring.
The company had previously tried to pursue a hypogonadism label for the drug but was unable to reach an agreement with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2007 regarding a clinical path for the drug.
Repros said the FDA also requested the company to conduct a literature review of the incidence of infertility associated with the use of exogenous testosterone.
If the submitted data is approved, no additional meeting regarding the label may be required, the company said.
Story from Reuters.
The company had previously tried to pursue a hypogonadism label for the drug but was unable to reach an agreement with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2007 regarding a clinical path for the drug.
Repros said the FDA also requested the company to conduct a literature review of the incidence of infertility associated with the use of exogenous testosterone.
If the submitted data is approved, no additional meeting regarding the label may be required, the company said.
Story from Reuters.
Tuesday, 26 January 2010
Former IFBB Mr Australia convicted for steroid trafficking.
Angelo Galati enjoyed a squeaky clean image as one of Australia’s premier power athletes.
A well-known Bentleigh East resident, working as a hairdresser and personal trainer, he received accolades in 2008 after being crowned Mr Australia at an International Federation of Bodybuilding competition for the fifth time.
Known in powerlifting circles as “Mr Bench” after breaking several bench-pressing world records, at the age of 40 he was lifting more than men half his age.
He also regularly visited Hobart’s Risdon Prison to run competitions and seminars for the inmates.
But it all came crashing down when police raided his North Rd home in Bentleigh East and found a staggering cache of steroids and money derived from their sale, a month before he won his national title.
Almost 6500 anabolic steroid tablets, 16 vials of liquid and $16,835 in cash were seized during the sting on September 9, 2008.
Galati was on Friday convicted and sentenced at the Moorabbin Magistrates’ Court to a 12-month intensive corrections order after pleading guilty to trafficking anabolic steroids, possessing a drug of dependance and receiving and possessing the proceeds of crime.
The court heard the drugs were found stashed in several bedrooms along with 25g of cannabis, while more steroids and money were found hidden in the kitchen.
“A further search located a metal tin which contained $16,335 in cash and various papers listing amounts sold and received,” prosecutor Stephen McGinness said.
Another $500 was found in the kitchen, Leading Sen-Constable McGinness said.
Story from WhereILive .com.au
Former narcotics top cop gets probation in steroid case.
The one-time Tennessee narcotics officer of the year was sentenced to three years probation Tuesday for allowing a known drug dealer to make a delivery of steroids without police interference.
“This is an especially tragic case because Mr. Valentine was a very promising officer,” said U.S. Dist. Judge Samuel Mays. “He was a model narcotics officer, but then he himself was engaging in steroid use. This was an aberration for Mr. Valentine.”
Under a plea agreement with prosecutors, a more serious eight-count indictment that accused him of buying and selling illegal steroids was dismissed.
The alleged violations occurred between Sept. 9 and Sept. 25, 2007, and stemmed from a series of phone calls and contacts between a confidential source and Valentine in an alleged attempt to distribute anabolic steroids.
Story from CommercialAppeal. Com
“This is an especially tragic case because Mr. Valentine was a very promising officer,” said U.S. Dist. Judge Samuel Mays. “He was a model narcotics officer, but then he himself was engaging in steroid use. This was an aberration for Mr. Valentine.”
Under a plea agreement with prosecutors, a more serious eight-count indictment that accused him of buying and selling illegal steroids was dismissed.
The alleged violations occurred between Sept. 9 and Sept. 25, 2007, and stemmed from a series of phone calls and contacts between a confidential source and Valentine in an alleged attempt to distribute anabolic steroids.
Story from CommercialAppeal. Com
Monday, 25 January 2010
Major steroid crackdown in Spain and Portugal - 39 addresses raided !
Eleven people were arrested at several places in Spain in an operation to bust an international network that illegally distributed anabolic steroids at gyms.
The operation was launched last March, the Catalonia regional police said Monday.
The Civil Guard, which took part in the investigation, said that the network had smuggled into Spain more than two tons of doping substances over the past 14 months.
In the raids conducted in several Spanish and Portuguese towns, law enforcement agents seized 15,000 doses of steroids – some of them packaged and labeled in Russian and Arabic – the use of which is prohibited without proper medical monitoring since the substances can have serious consequences including liver tumors, fluid retention and high blood pressure.
Among the medications seized were some that had been counterfeited.
In the raids on 39 homes, nutrition complement businesses, gymnasiums and warehouses in Barcelona, the southern Spanish cities of Cadiz and Malaga and several Portuguese towns, authorities also found packaging and instructions brochures prepared to be included with the steroids when they were sold on the black market.
The operation is still under way, since authorities are reviewing the seized documentation, and they are not ruling out more arrests, police said.
Story from the Latin American Herald Tribune.
Autonomous Police and the Guardia Urbana and has resulted in eleven detainees, five in Cadiz, five in Catalonia (in Martorell , Penedes, Badalona, Begues and Castelldefels) and one in Malaga Catalan police involved in closing down gang selling anabolic steroids throughout Spain.
The Catalan Police and Civil Guard have arrested eleven people in various parts of Spain in a joint operation that culminated in the dismantling of an international network of illegal distribution of steroids in gyms.
The operation began last March when parallel investigations crossed paths of the Autonomous Police and the Guardia Urbana and has resulted in eleven detainees, five in Cadiz, five in Catalonia (in Martorell , Penedes, Badalona, Begues and Castelldefels) and one in Malaga.
In searches performed in several Spanish and Portuguese towns, officials have found 15,000 doses of anabolic steroids, some packaged and labelled in Russian and Arabic, "whose use is prohibited without proper medical supervision, since it can cause serious consequences for health, such as liver tumours, fluid retention and hypertension. Among the drugs seized some have been found to be fake, its actual composition does not match what's listed on their labels, with further enhances the risks of people consuming them.
Story from the Barcelona Reporter.
We are of course assuming this is related to Sweden's Operation Liquid from late last year.
Hopefully further information and pictures will be released this week.
The operation was launched last March, the Catalonia regional police said Monday.
The Civil Guard, which took part in the investigation, said that the network had smuggled into Spain more than two tons of doping substances over the past 14 months.
In the raids conducted in several Spanish and Portuguese towns, law enforcement agents seized 15,000 doses of steroids – some of them packaged and labeled in Russian and Arabic – the use of which is prohibited without proper medical monitoring since the substances can have serious consequences including liver tumors, fluid retention and high blood pressure.
Among the medications seized were some that had been counterfeited.
In the raids on 39 homes, nutrition complement businesses, gymnasiums and warehouses in Barcelona, the southern Spanish cities of Cadiz and Malaga and several Portuguese towns, authorities also found packaging and instructions brochures prepared to be included with the steroids when they were sold on the black market.
The operation is still under way, since authorities are reviewing the seized documentation, and they are not ruling out more arrests, police said.
Story from the Latin American Herald Tribune.
Autonomous Police and the Guardia Urbana and has resulted in eleven detainees, five in Cadiz, five in Catalonia (in Martorell , Penedes, Badalona, Begues and Castelldefels) and one in Malaga Catalan police involved in closing down gang selling anabolic steroids throughout Spain.
The Catalan Police and Civil Guard have arrested eleven people in various parts of Spain in a joint operation that culminated in the dismantling of an international network of illegal distribution of steroids in gyms.
The operation began last March when parallel investigations crossed paths of the Autonomous Police and the Guardia Urbana and has resulted in eleven detainees, five in Cadiz, five in Catalonia (in Martorell , Penedes, Badalona, Begues and Castelldefels) and one in Malaga.
In searches performed in several Spanish and Portuguese towns, officials have found 15,000 doses of anabolic steroids, some packaged and labelled in Russian and Arabic, "whose use is prohibited without proper medical supervision, since it can cause serious consequences for health, such as liver tumours, fluid retention and hypertension. Among the drugs seized some have been found to be fake, its actual composition does not match what's listed on their labels, with further enhances the risks of people consuming them.
Story from the Barcelona Reporter.
We are of course assuming this is related to Sweden's Operation Liquid from late last year.
Hopefully further information and pictures will be released this week.
Jurors in Mobile steroids trial hear wiretapped phone calls, see intercepted faxes, e-mails.
Jurors in a steroids trial last week heard wiretapped phone conversations and saw intercepted e-mails, faxes and Web searches.
The Drug Enforcement Administration got permission to monitor the communications as part of its probe of Applied Pharmacy Services, which prosecutors contend shipped anabolic steroids to hundreds of customers-- including professional athletes like former baseball slugger Jose Canseco.
The evidence includes faxed order forms for steroids and discussions about the products between officials at the compounding pharmacy and health clinic owners who are accused of dealing the drugs.
Government agents testified that FedEx inadvertently delivered documents related to the investigation to Applied Pharmacy on May 1, 2006. After that, investigators began seeing Applied officials running Google searches searching for information about the probe and investigations of an Arizona doctor whose prescriptions the pharmacy filled.
In one recorded conversation in June 2006, part-owner Jason R. Kelley discussed a recent audit of Applied Pharmacy that raised questions about the use of Trenbolone, a steroid designed for use on livestock that has not been approved for human use. Kelley said in the call that the pharmacy was going to discontinue use of that drug.
Earlier last week, jurors heard from several steroids customers, who testified about side effects they suffered from taking the drugs. They included severe acne on the back, shrunken testicles and depression.
Story from AL.com
The Drug Enforcement Administration got permission to monitor the communications as part of its probe of Applied Pharmacy Services, which prosecutors contend shipped anabolic steroids to hundreds of customers-- including professional athletes like former baseball slugger Jose Canseco.
The evidence includes faxed order forms for steroids and discussions about the products between officials at the compounding pharmacy and health clinic owners who are accused of dealing the drugs.
Government agents testified that FedEx inadvertently delivered documents related to the investigation to Applied Pharmacy on May 1, 2006. After that, investigators began seeing Applied officials running Google searches searching for information about the probe and investigations of an Arizona doctor whose prescriptions the pharmacy filled.
In one recorded conversation in June 2006, part-owner Jason R. Kelley discussed a recent audit of Applied Pharmacy that raised questions about the use of Trenbolone, a steroid designed for use on livestock that has not been approved for human use. Kelley said in the call that the pharmacy was going to discontinue use of that drug.
Earlier last week, jurors heard from several steroids customers, who testified about side effects they suffered from taking the drugs. They included severe acne on the back, shrunken testicles and depression.
Story from AL.com
Sunday, 24 January 2010
South African Doctor claims steroid use by Rugby playing schoolboys is commonplace.
Of the banned substances, anabolic androgens ("steroids") are the most widely publicised and relevant to muscle gain. My schoolboy patients inform me they are also the most easily accessible - from gym trainers, under the counter at supplement shops and from school mates. Last week a schoolboy from a prominent rugby-playing school conceded to me that "well over half" of the first-team squad of 30 take anabolic steroids. Steroid use at school has quickly evolved from being surreptitious to ubiquitous. Ironically, these pupils may be tested for recreational drugs but fall through the steroid-detection net because sports dope testing is not routinely performed at schools.
My young patients tell me that most of the products are obtained via a ballooning black market in gyms. Some of the ampoules they have shown me are intended for veterinary use and are imported from Asia and Central America. But, in the now tainted world of school sport, apparently anything justifies a first team jersey, the coach's approval, glowing parental pride and the school's adulation.
Story from TimesLive.co.za
My young patients tell me that most of the products are obtained via a ballooning black market in gyms. Some of the ampoules they have shown me are intended for veterinary use and are imported from Asia and Central America. But, in the now tainted world of school sport, apparently anything justifies a first team jersey, the coach's approval, glowing parental pride and the school's adulation.
Story from TimesLive.co.za
Friday, 22 January 2010
More Indian weightlifters banned for doping.
Indian weightlifter Shailaja Pujari has been banned for life for doping and five other Indian lifters have received four-year drug bans.
Pujari, the 75-kilogram gold medallist at the 2002 Commonwealth Games, tested positive for a banned substance in September for her second doping offence. She also tested positive for steroids in 2006 and was dropped from the Indian team for the Commonwealth Games.
Vicky Batta, a Commonwealth Games silver medallist in 2006, was among the five others banned for four years and fined US$5,000.
Baishya, who recently took over the helm of the Indian weightlifting body, said he planned to clean up the sport. "I am determined to make it a drug-free federation and win medals without drugs," he said.
Pujari, the 75-kilogram gold medallist at the 2002 Commonwealth Games, tested positive for a banned substance in September for her second doping offence. She also tested positive for steroids in 2006 and was dropped from the Indian team for the Commonwealth Games.
Vicky Batta, a Commonwealth Games silver medallist in 2006, was among the five others banned for four years and fined US$5,000.
Baishya, who recently took over the helm of the Indian weightlifting body, said he planned to clean up the sport. "I am determined to make it a drug-free federation and win medals without drugs," he said.
Thursday, 21 January 2010
MuscleMaster.com's second product recall ( Rx Bacteriostatic Water )
MuscleMaster.com, Inc. is voluntarily recalling all lots and expiration dates of Abbott Laboratories Bacteriostatic Water sold between June 1, 2009 and November 17, 2009.
This product recall is being conducted in cooperation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The product is labeled for sale 'Rx Only.' FDA has stated that it requires that sales of this product be made only pursuant to a valid prescription through an entity licensed by its jurisdiction to dispense prescription products.
Abbott Laboratories Bacteriostatic Water is an FDA approved Rx only product you have to wonder how they were able to buy huge quantities from US distributors without attracting unwanted attention.
This product recall is being conducted in cooperation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The product is labeled for sale 'Rx Only.' FDA has stated that it requires that sales of this product be made only pursuant to a valid prescription through an entity licensed by its jurisdiction to dispense prescription products.
Abbott Laboratories Bacteriostatic Water is an FDA approved Rx only product you have to wonder how they were able to buy huge quantities from US distributors without attracting unwanted attention.
American Cellular Labs pleads guilty and is fined $500,000.
VMG Global, a sports nutrition company in California, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to selling products under the guise of dietary supplements that had been illegally spiked with steroids, according to court documents.
From 2005 through the middle of 2009, according to the documents, VMG Global, which also does business as American Cellular Labs, knowingly deceived consumers and the government by marketing two illegal drug products that each contained a synthetic anabolic steroid under the guise of dietary supplements.
During this time period, the illegal products, called Tren Xtreme and Mass Xtreme, generated revenue of about $5.6 million, the documents said. Mass Xtreme, for example, contained Madol, a designer steroid first identified six years ago during the investigation into the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative, the documents said.
VMG Global pleaded guilty to one charge of introducing unapproved drugs into interstate commerce with the intent to defraud and mislead, according to a plea agreement filed Wednesday in United States District Court in San Jose, Calif.
As part of the plea agreement, the company agreed to pay penalties of up to . It also agreed to destroy its remaining inventory of the two products.
Rick Collins, a lawyer representing VMG Global, said the company had cooperated with the government to resolve the case in a fair and appropriate manner.
“The felony prosecution and the substantial fine imposed should serve as a warning to supplement companies selling misbranded products that do not fit the criteria for a dietary ingredient,” Mr. Collins wrote in an e-mail message in response to a query from a reporter.
Full story from the NYTimes.
Personally I think spiking a nutritional product primarily used by teenagers is far worse than selling real steroids to adults.
From 2005 through the middle of 2009, according to the documents, VMG Global, which also does business as American Cellular Labs, knowingly deceived consumers and the government by marketing two illegal drug products that each contained a synthetic anabolic steroid under the guise of dietary supplements.
During this time period, the illegal products, called Tren Xtreme and Mass Xtreme, generated revenue of about $5.6 million, the documents said. Mass Xtreme, for example, contained Madol, a designer steroid first identified six years ago during the investigation into the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative, the documents said.
VMG Global pleaded guilty to one charge of introducing unapproved drugs into interstate commerce with the intent to defraud and mislead, according to a plea agreement filed Wednesday in United States District Court in San Jose, Calif.
As part of the plea agreement, the company agreed to pay penalties of up to . It also agreed to destroy its remaining inventory of the two products.
Rick Collins, a lawyer representing VMG Global, said the company had cooperated with the government to resolve the case in a fair and appropriate manner.
“The felony prosecution and the substantial fine imposed should serve as a warning to supplement companies selling misbranded products that do not fit the criteria for a dietary ingredient,” Mr. Collins wrote in an e-mail message in response to a query from a reporter.
Full story from the NYTimes.
Personally I think spiking a nutritional product primarily used by teenagers is far worse than selling real steroids to adults.
Tuesday, 19 January 2010
Real oral versions of Insulin and HGH in development.
ACCESS PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.provided an update today on its Cobalamin(TM) oral drug delivery product development programs. The proprietary Cobalamin(TM) technology utilizes the body's natural vitamin B12 oral uptake mechanism to facilitate oral absorption of pharmaceuticals by a "Trojan horse" mechanism.
Access has focused its Cobalamin product development program on the oral delivery of insulin and human growth hormone, two peptides which currently can only be given by injection. A new Cobalamin-coated insulin-containing nanoparticle formulation delivered orally provided a pharmacological response (lowering of blood glucose levels in an animal model of diabetes) greater than 80% of that achieved by insulin delivered subcutaneously. This represents a substantial oral bioavailability, indicating that this formulation has potential for clinical development and ultimate commercialization.
Adaptation of this technology has provided a Cobalamin human growth hormone formulation that has demonstrated good efficacy, represented by more than 25% improvement in weight gain, when given orally in an established animal model. Access continues to move both products towards clinical development, and plans to submit an additional patent application to protect the improvements to the technology.
Access has focused its Cobalamin product development program on the oral delivery of insulin and human growth hormone, two peptides which currently can only be given by injection. A new Cobalamin-coated insulin-containing nanoparticle formulation delivered orally provided a pharmacological response (lowering of blood glucose levels in an animal model of diabetes) greater than 80% of that achieved by insulin delivered subcutaneously. This represents a substantial oral bioavailability, indicating that this formulation has potential for clinical development and ultimate commercialization.
Adaptation of this technology has provided a Cobalamin human growth hormone formulation that has demonstrated good efficacy, represented by more than 25% improvement in weight gain, when given orally in an established animal model. Access continues to move both products towards clinical development, and plans to submit an additional patent application to protect the improvements to the technology.
Admitted dealer ties Mobile pharmacy to steroids conspiracy that spanned country.
A New Jersey man testified today that he set up a business to sell steroids to bodybuilders and used a doctor suggested by a pharmacy executive in Mobile to write prescriptions.
Dan McGlone's testimony directly linked Jason R. Kelley, who was part owner of Applied Pharmacy Services, to a nationwide conspiracy in which doctors have admitted to signing off on bogus prescriptions for customers of health clinics. Applied Pharmacy, which was located on International Drive near Bel Air Mall, mixed the drugs and shipped them, in many cases, directly to the customers.
Throughout the trial in U.S. District Court, attorneys for Applied Pharmacy's owners and pharmacists, have argued that the pharmacy merely filled prescriptions written by the doctors.
But McGlone told jurors that Kelley played an active role in his business. McGlone testified that he met Kelley over the phone while searching for a pharmacy online where he could find drugs to treat a medical condition involving his body's inability to produce sufficient testosterone.
During the conversation, McGlone testified, Kelley suggested he get in touch with a Brooklyn, N.Y., doctor who would "write a prescription for anything."
McGlone said he called in 2003 and soon set up his own company, American Pharmaceutical Group. Working out of his home on North Brunswick, N.J., McGlone said, he began advertising in muscle magazines and told Kelley about his plans.
"He thought it was a very good idea," McGlone testified.
He said he soon began getting orders from college and amateur athletes and grossed between $900,000 and $1 million from January 2004 to August 2006, although he acknowledged under cross-examination that the vast majority of that was for steroids filled at another pharmacy.
Full story from AL.com
Body Research - the confusion continues.
It seems I'm not the only one who is struggling to find the March version of Danabol DS. So far their have been no reported sightings in the wild.
March just posted this pic of their new stanozol tabs called "Stanozolol" ( a very original name ) on BodyOfScience.
I started thinking about this situation and realised it doesn't really add up.
Body Research were the first on the market with both Danabol DS and Stanol ( and several other products including Bonalone, Bonavar etc ) they came up with the names and the packaging design ( which March now claims as theirs ) around 2004 ( I'm not 100% about the year they began ).
When the "Manufactured by March" info first appeared on BR's labels we all assumed they had contracted production to a legit company ( March ) to avoid local legal problems. I find it very hard to believe that March's info appeared on BR's labels without their knowledge or consent for several years.
If March had no production deal with BR then it looks like they are the ones copying BR's products rather than the other way round ( even if they have managed to legally register their copycat versions with Thailand's FDA ).
The same fate also seems to have met BR's two injectables Cypionax and Testolix which are now made and Thai FDA registered by TP Drug but still use BR's product names and pack designs.
The idea that two independent legit companies ( March and TP ) decide to start copying Body Research's products just doesn't seem very likely to me. The owners of BR probably didn't care who made the products for them as long as the cost was acceptable and they had something to sell.
You have to wonder if March's recent announcement is to cover their tracks over working with BR for all these years ( due to an investigation into exports of Danabol DS something March claims they have never done ) or is simply a result of their relationship having gone sour ?
March Pharmaceuticals manufacturer of Danabol DS claims all recent Body Research versions are fake.
A poster claiming to represent Thailand's March Pharmaceutical Company posted the following message and pictures :-
"Body Research does not distribute Danabol DS.
March Pharmaceutical Co.,Ltd is the sole distributor as you can see on the Thai FDA website.
Buyer beware any bottle of Danabol DS with a Body Research logo and ("Distributed by Body Research") is a counterfeit of March Pharmaceutical's registered/licensed product.
March Pharmaceutical does not export products outside Thailand. Counterfeit Danabol DS can be found worldwide and even at pharmacies inside Thailand.
Since counterfeit product are not controlled/regulated by any agencies there is no telling what active ingredients or the amount they contain."
Posted on the BodyOfScience.com forums.
This is an interesting story as I've yet to see the 'real' March version of Danabol DS on sale in any Thai pharmacys nor do I recall ever seeing a picture of one of their tubs posted on any forum or site until now.
I presume this means current Body Research branded versions of Cypionax and Testolic may also be fake. I'll of course be taking a closer look next time I'm in Thailand and picking up samples.
Ret sentenced to SIX and a half years in a Russian prison.
The original machine translation was nearly unreadable so I've edited it a little.
"Today 'Judge Mikhail Throw' of the Moscow City Court sentenced a gang of five people found guilty of attempted smuggling and trafficking of anabolic steroids.
Dmitry Koshuba a long time bodybuilder fromed the gang to smuggled anabolic steroids into the United States where these substances are illegal.
Dmitry Koshuba began by recruiting his friend Vladimir Matyukov. Later they were joined by Sergei Degtyarev and Elena Tsymbal, under the leadership of Dmitry and Vladimir the gang engaged in the transport, packaging and packing of anabolic steroids.
Dmitri Koshuba has been sentenced to a 6 years and 6 months imprisonment to be served in a colony, Vladimir Matyukov - 5 years and 6 months of a general regime colony, Sergei Dyagterevu - 5 years of general regime, Elena Tsymbal - 4 years and 6 months general regime. Defendant Andrei Borovkov however was acquitted."
Discovered via Ronny T’s post on the BodyOfScience.com forum.
"Today 'Judge Mikhail Throw' of the Moscow City Court sentenced a gang of five people found guilty of attempted smuggling and trafficking of anabolic steroids.
Dmitry Koshuba a long time bodybuilder fromed the gang to smuggled anabolic steroids into the United States where these substances are illegal.
Dmitry Koshuba began by recruiting his friend Vladimir Matyukov. Later they were joined by Sergei Degtyarev and Elena Tsymbal, under the leadership of Dmitry and Vladimir the gang engaged in the transport, packaging and packing of anabolic steroids.
Dmitri Koshuba has been sentenced to a 6 years and 6 months imprisonment to be served in a colony, Vladimir Matyukov - 5 years and 6 months of a general regime colony, Sergei Dyagterevu - 5 years of general regime, Elena Tsymbal - 4 years and 6 months general regime. Defendant Andrei Borovkov however was acquitted."
Discovered via Ronny T’s post on the BodyOfScience.com forum.
Monday, 18 January 2010
Thai-SteroidsDirect.com scam !
The "Thai-SteroidsDirect.com" domain name was regsitered on the 20th December 2009 and they are now spending a a large amount on Google advertising. Paying Google close to a $1 for each click they get. To find their add search for thai steroids.
It appears they have copied the recently closed ThaiSteroidsDirect.com ( without the - ) another site many considered to be a scam. Perhaps they are both from the same owner, we're not 100% certain at this time.
I expect they will change domain name again soon.
If anyone reading this has been scammed by either site please get in touch.
Saturday, 16 January 2010
Underground Lab bust - maybe it was in Texas.
Indictments filed in steroids cases.
A Dallas man has received three separate indictments for the alleged illegal possession of steroids, as well as a deadly weapon.
Logan Wayde Robertson, 21, was named in indictments issued sealed last month by the Hunt County grand jury on three counts of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance.
Robertson was alleged in the indictments to have been in possession of less than 29 grams each of the steroids testosterone, nandrolone and trenbolone when he was arrested by a trooper with the Texas Department of Public Safety on May 12, 2009.
Each of the indictments also allege Robertson used or exhibited a deadly weapon, namely a wooden club.
The indictments were issued sealed, pending Robertson’s appearance in court on the charges. During a hearing Thursday in the 354th District Court, Judge Richard A. Beacom appointed an attorney to represent Robertson, then reset Robertson’s formal arraignment for March 24.
Each of the charges is a third-degree felony, punishable upon conviction by a maximum sentence of from two to 10 years in prison and an optional fine of up to $10,000.
Sadly no mention of the brand involved, I do expect some pictures will surface in the press soon.
A Dallas man has received three separate indictments for the alleged illegal possession of steroids, as well as a deadly weapon.
Logan Wayde Robertson, 21, was named in indictments issued sealed last month by the Hunt County grand jury on three counts of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance.
Robertson was alleged in the indictments to have been in possession of less than 29 grams each of the steroids testosterone, nandrolone and trenbolone when he was arrested by a trooper with the Texas Department of Public Safety on May 12, 2009.
Each of the indictments also allege Robertson used or exhibited a deadly weapon, namely a wooden club.
The indictments were issued sealed, pending Robertson’s appearance in court on the charges. During a hearing Thursday in the 354th District Court, Judge Richard A. Beacom appointed an attorney to represent Robertson, then reset Robertson’s formal arraignment for March 24.
Each of the charges is a third-degree felony, punishable upon conviction by a maximum sentence of from two to 10 years in prison and an optional fine of up to $10,000.
Sadly no mention of the brand involved, I do expect some pictures will surface in the press soon.
Friday, 15 January 2010
Vigor Quest - NYTimes story on Andropause
His age-management program could fill a spreadsheet. Life began reciting from memory: 1,000 milligrams of calcium daily, coenzyme Q10 pills twice a day, 5,000 units of vitamin D, 4 grams of fish oil, 10 milligrams of melatonin at bedtime, a testosterone injection once a week, human-growth hormone once a day. “That reminds me,” he said, reaching into his desk drawer. “I’ve got to give myself a shot.”
The majority of Comite’s patients never need human-growth hormone, although a guy who says he intends to kick soccer balls until “the pain exceeds the pleasure” may want to keep that option open. As for testosterone, H.C.G. eventually loses its effectiveness as the testicles run dry. The only option is to turn to synthetic testosterone.
Full story from the NYTimes.com
MuscleMaster.com product recall.
MuscleMaster.com, Inc. and FDA notified consumers and healthcare professionals of the voluntary nationwide recall of all lots and expiration dates of the seventeen dietary supplements listed in the firm press release, sold between June 1, 2009 and November 17, 2009. FDA informed MuscleMaster.com that it believes that the recalled products contain ingredients that are steroids.
107 kg shipment of suspected counterfeit Viagra seized in UK.
A shipment of 81,000 sildenafil citrate tablets - the active ingredient in Pfizer's erectile dysfunction product Viagra - has been intercepted at Newcastle Airport in the UK by Border Agency officers.
The haul was in transit via road freight from Heathrow Airport and had entered the country on a flight from Mumbai, India. The shipment was mislabelled as containing food additives.
At present it is not known whether the items are counterfeit or genuine product diverted from the usual supply chain as a result of theft or diversion.
The value of the haul is hard to gauge. There is a market in the UK for individual tablets on the street (often referred to as 'poke') with each selling at a few pounds per pill, indicating that the shipment could have been worth £300,000-£500,000.
Story from SecuringPharma.com
The haul was in transit via road freight from Heathrow Airport and had entered the country on a flight from Mumbai, India. The shipment was mislabelled as containing food additives.
At present it is not known whether the items are counterfeit or genuine product diverted from the usual supply chain as a result of theft or diversion.
The value of the haul is hard to gauge. There is a market in the UK for individual tablets on the street (often referred to as 'poke') with each selling at a few pounds per pill, indicating that the shipment could have been worth £300,000-£500,000.
Story from SecuringPharma.com
Thursday, 14 January 2010
Axio Labs launches a copy of Kamagra gel called Sildenagel.
I've yet to see one of Axio Labs' new Sildenagels in the flesh but I'm expecting them to weigh more than just 5 mg ( competing sachets such as Kamagra weigh 5 g).
I made a promise to Axio that I would proof read all their stuff so hopefully I've spotted this error before all the labels were printed. I expect they were simply too busy deleting forum posts from unhappy customers to check it themselves :-)
Axio are expecting Sildenagels to be such a big success they will even have their own site Sildenagel.com (currently under development ).
Wednesday, 13 January 2010
Phoenix officer fighting steroid-use case
Ramirez said he started using a supplement called Tokkyo Tren after getting the idea from trainers at a Peoria gym where other officers lift weights.
Phoenix Public Safety Manager Jack Harris fired Ramirez several months after the officer's bodybuilder ex-wife, a fellow Phoenix officer, told internal-affairs investigators that her son discovered syringes at his house.
Ramirez denied the claim. He said needles make him squeamish. Ramirez said his separation and custody battle over his two children played a factor in his case.
At 39, he said, he started taking Tren orally after a couple of violent on-duty scuffles with thugs made him worried for his safety.
"They spend hours working out," Ramirez said. "They're stronger and hungrier than me.
"I told Harris, the goal at the end of my shift is for me to go home safe, for my partner to go home safe."
Ramirez tested positive for nandrolone, though his levels were so low it raised questions as to whether he could be using the injectable illegal drug, as internal-affairs reports suggested.
Internal investigators who reviewed Ramirez's case wrote in their case summary that the officer failed to provide a reasonable explanation as to how nandrolone turned up in his system.
Ramirez's case was reviewed by Dr. Don Catlin, a Los Angeles-based pharmacologist and anti-doping authority, at the request of the police-officers union, which represents officers in discipline-review cases.
Catlin - known as a pioneer in sports-drug testing, whose UCLA lab has led the way on professional-baseball and Olympic doping cases - suggested Ramirez was fired despite a report that "contains factual errors about pharmacology, toxicology and laboratory finding concerning nandrolone." He said Tren can distort test results.
"When this drug is ingested, the body metabolizes (converts) it to two metabolites of nandrolone," Catlin wrote in an analysis sent to PLEA. "Therefore the ingestion of 'Tren' may produce a positive urine test for nandrolone."
Full story from AZCentral.com
Phoenix Public Safety Manager Jack Harris fired Ramirez several months after the officer's bodybuilder ex-wife, a fellow Phoenix officer, told internal-affairs investigators that her son discovered syringes at his house.
Ramirez denied the claim. He said needles make him squeamish. Ramirez said his separation and custody battle over his two children played a factor in his case.
At 39, he said, he started taking Tren orally after a couple of violent on-duty scuffles with thugs made him worried for his safety.
"They spend hours working out," Ramirez said. "They're stronger and hungrier than me.
"I told Harris, the goal at the end of my shift is for me to go home safe, for my partner to go home safe."
Ramirez tested positive for nandrolone, though his levels were so low it raised questions as to whether he could be using the injectable illegal drug, as internal-affairs reports suggested.
Internal investigators who reviewed Ramirez's case wrote in their case summary that the officer failed to provide a reasonable explanation as to how nandrolone turned up in his system.
Ramirez's case was reviewed by Dr. Don Catlin, a Los Angeles-based pharmacologist and anti-doping authority, at the request of the police-officers union, which represents officers in discipline-review cases.
Catlin - known as a pioneer in sports-drug testing, whose UCLA lab has led the way on professional-baseball and Olympic doping cases - suggested Ramirez was fired despite a report that "contains factual errors about pharmacology, toxicology and laboratory finding concerning nandrolone." He said Tren can distort test results.
"When this drug is ingested, the body metabolizes (converts) it to two metabolites of nandrolone," Catlin wrote in an analysis sent to PLEA. "Therefore the ingestion of 'Tren' may produce a positive urine test for nandrolone."
Full story from AZCentral.com
More on Operation Liquid from Sweden ( including translation of the original Swedish news story ).
"Forty arrested in record breaking Swedish anti-doping operation".
Nearly 250 police officers across the country struck simultaneous at several places early morning in Sweden's biggest doping raids ever.
Several searches have been made and 40 persons have been arrested.
In most cases it concerns severe doping offenses, severe smuggling crimes and severe money laundry says Marina Amonsson, chief prosecutor at the International Office of the Prosecutor and investigator, and suggests that it is a criminal organization with international links they have busted.
What initiated this morning's raid, which involved 250 police officers all over Sweden, was a Customs seizure at the Arlanda airport in May of this year. During which Customs found a shipment of growth hormone addressed to a person in Sundsvall, North Sweden. Because of this the whole operation was handed over to a police station in the Northwest of Sweden, which led to this mornings raids.
Long planning.
After more than a half year of planning, investigation and intelligence gathering the police performed a country wide raid on Wednesday morning.
The police have done searches in Malmö, Gothenburg, Stockholm, Karlstad, Örebro, Eskilstuna, Umeå, Örnsköldsvik and Sollefteå.
Significant quantities.
40 people have been arrested in the raid. Nine men and four women of those arrested are in police custody in Karlstad. All are detained on suspicion of doping offenses.
They are suspected of having used the drugs for themselves and also for selling the preparation to others says Per Strom, head of communications at the police in Värmland.
He does not know exactly how large quantities of doping substances that have been seized, but says there are significant quantities that the involved have managed.
If you take a Dianabol for example, which is a tablet that contains 5 mg active substance, it takes 50.000 tablets for a seizure to be considered a severe doping crime, says Borje Ohman at the police in Northwest Sweden. Each of those now arrested have been caught with the equivalent amount or more, according to the information given by the police.
Many bodybuilders arrested.
In the homes of the arrested, the police seized money, documents and computers as well. Most of those arrested are bodybuilders.S ome are known for crimes previously. All aged 21-35 years. The raid was conducted by the police in Northwest Sweden in collaboration with several other county police agencies.
We have had very good cooperation with the concerned police authorities in the country and with the other authorities involved. It is what enabled us to perform this raid, says Thomas Nilsson.
Comment from Sparta ( our Sweidsh friend / translator ) :
The police and customs have let the discovered shipments pass through customs while observing and collecting evidence as the suspects sold, handled or stored the products, without interfering or seizing anything during more than 6 months, this is not the usual way of doing things in Sweden.
It is in my opinion a sign of increased aggression from the authorities.
Law enforcement's intention appears to be to discover and destroy the whole chain of movement of products from the country of manufacture all the way to the end user, causing large temporary damage to the concerned UG labs structures of operation.
The large number of arrests is proudly pointed out, this as a part of the “war on steroids”, convincing the opinion of voters that steroids is a huge problem and a big threat to society.
Boasting in the news ensures that there is a big budget allocated for the war next year. Of course this is taking place at the same time the use of far more dangerous substances is spreading and should have been their main priority, every cent used in the “war against steroids” is a cent that could have been used to fight a real problem.
The police and customs claim to have busted almost everyone involved but as usual that's not very likely to be true. I believe the lab will re-organize and continue operations in the not to distant future.
Nearly 250 police officers across the country struck simultaneous at several places early morning in Sweden's biggest doping raids ever.
Several searches have been made and 40 persons have been arrested.
In most cases it concerns severe doping offenses, severe smuggling crimes and severe money laundry says Marina Amonsson, chief prosecutor at the International Office of the Prosecutor and investigator, and suggests that it is a criminal organization with international links they have busted.
What initiated this morning's raid, which involved 250 police officers all over Sweden, was a Customs seizure at the Arlanda airport in May of this year. During which Customs found a shipment of growth hormone addressed to a person in Sundsvall, North Sweden. Because of this the whole operation was handed over to a police station in the Northwest of Sweden, which led to this mornings raids.
Long planning.
After more than a half year of planning, investigation and intelligence gathering the police performed a country wide raid on Wednesday morning.
The police have done searches in Malmö, Gothenburg, Stockholm, Karlstad, Örebro, Eskilstuna, Umeå, Örnsköldsvik and Sollefteå.
Significant quantities.
40 people have been arrested in the raid. Nine men and four women of those arrested are in police custody in Karlstad. All are detained on suspicion of doping offenses.
They are suspected of having used the drugs for themselves and also for selling the preparation to others says Per Strom, head of communications at the police in Värmland.
He does not know exactly how large quantities of doping substances that have been seized, but says there are significant quantities that the involved have managed.
If you take a Dianabol for example, which is a tablet that contains 5 mg active substance, it takes 50.000 tablets for a seizure to be considered a severe doping crime, says Borje Ohman at the police in Northwest Sweden. Each of those now arrested have been caught with the equivalent amount or more, according to the information given by the police.
Many bodybuilders arrested.
In the homes of the arrested, the police seized money, documents and computers as well. Most of those arrested are bodybuilders.S ome are known for crimes previously. All aged 21-35 years. The raid was conducted by the police in Northwest Sweden in collaboration with several other county police agencies.
We have had very good cooperation with the concerned police authorities in the country and with the other authorities involved. It is what enabled us to perform this raid, says Thomas Nilsson.
Comment from Sparta ( our Sweidsh friend / translator ) :
The police and customs have let the discovered shipments pass through customs while observing and collecting evidence as the suspects sold, handled or stored the products, without interfering or seizing anything during more than 6 months, this is not the usual way of doing things in Sweden.
It is in my opinion a sign of increased aggression from the authorities.
Law enforcement's intention appears to be to discover and destroy the whole chain of movement of products from the country of manufacture all the way to the end user, causing large temporary damage to the concerned UG labs structures of operation.
The large number of arrests is proudly pointed out, this as a part of the “war on steroids”, convincing the opinion of voters that steroids is a huge problem and a big threat to society.
Boasting in the news ensures that there is a big budget allocated for the war next year. Of course this is taking place at the same time the use of far more dangerous substances is spreading and should have been their main priority, every cent used in the “war against steroids” is a cent that could have been used to fight a real problem.
The police and customs claim to have busted almost everyone involved but as usual that's not very likely to be true. I believe the lab will re-organize and continue operations in the not to distant future.
Tuesday, 12 January 2010
Scammer impersonating OutlawMuscle's Admin.
We've read reports that an impersonator is pm'ing sources on forums and trying to trick them into sending him cash or product in exchange for banner advertising on the OutlawMuscle.com forum.
The scammer's pm's look like this :-
"MY PARTNER AND I HAVE HEARED SOME VERY GOOD THINGS ABOUT YOUR COMPANY.
AS YOU KNOW WE ARE THE BIGGEST BOARD ON THE NET. I AM
LOOKING TO ADD ANOTHER SPONSOR/SOURCE TO MY BOARD.
WOULD YOU BE INTRESTED?
PLEASE LET ME KNOW AS WE WORK VERY FAST AND LIKE TO GET THINGS DONE."
He is currently using the email addy :- Outlawmuscle@hushmail.com
Sadly this scammer can't spell or turn off CAPS LOCK.
The scammer's pm's look like this :-
"MY PARTNER AND I HAVE HEARED SOME VERY GOOD THINGS ABOUT YOUR COMPANY.
AS YOU KNOW WE ARE THE BIGGEST BOARD ON THE NET. I AM
LOOKING TO ADD ANOTHER SPONSOR/SOURCE TO MY BOARD.
WOULD YOU BE INTRESTED?
PLEASE LET ME KNOW AS WE WORK VERY FAST AND LIKE TO GET THINGS DONE."
He is currently using the email addy :- Outlawmuscle@hushmail.com
Sadly this scammer can't spell or turn off CAPS LOCK.
Androxal / Enclomiphene Citrate still trying to get FDA approval despite Repros Therapeutics Inc's recent financial trouble.
The Company recently submitted to the FDA a new IND for Androxal® for the treatment of Type II diabetes in men experiencing secondary hypogonadism. The potential for this indication was first exhibited in a retrospective analysis of data obtained from men exhibiting elevated fasting glucose levels during a previously conducted study of Androxal in men with low testosterone due to a hypothalamic-pituitary defect commonly known as secondary hypogonadism. Androxal exhibited a positive impact (reduction) of fasting glucose levels while neither testosterone nor placebo had effects to a similar degree. Repros is presently awaiting an FDA response. Additionally the Company has submitted a briefing package to the FDA regarding the impact of Androxal on sperm counts in men undergoing treatment for low testosterone with the goal of developing Androxal for the treatment of secondary hypogonadism in men wishing to preserve fertility during treatment for their hypogonadal state. The Company expects to interact with the FDA regarding both filings later this month.
Story from EarthTimes.org
Story from EarthTimes.org
Sunday, 10 January 2010
Steroid software released by scammers.
Our favourite French / Thai scammers are back with yet another new site : www.buy-anabolic-steroids.com
This is by far the nicest looking site these scammers have produced with a huge range of both UG and HG products for you to choose from. The prices are also rather high, I presume they have realised that if repeat business is not an issue then you may as well get as much money as possible in the first and only order. Most customers unfortunate enough to have found their site are probably steroid newbies who have no idea what fair prices are for the products they want to buy.
The picture below was sent to us by a reader who claims it's the French guy behind the scams having a drink at a bar in Koh Samui, Thailand. The pic is sadly of poor quality and shows a white skinny twenty something. The name used to receive victims funds is "PHONPIMON SRIWISET" in Thailand ( they've been using this name for a long time so I would guess it's the guy's Thai wife or girlfriend )
The icing on the cake is the release and distribution of their new steroid cycle generation software called "Bodybuilding Infromations 1.0" / bodybuilding-freeware.zip
The software appears to be virus / trojan free and simply advertises their www.buy-anabolic-steroids.com site.
Checking Google we can see they have already uploaded it to around twenty free software download sites. All of which are helping find them new victims and providing SEO juice to their scam sites :-(
Saturday, 9 January 2010
Asian bodybuilder bribed officials.
A gold-medal winning bodybuilder at the Doha Asian Games bribed his way into the event after being suspended from competition for failing a drugs test, a Hong Kong court heard yesterday.
Chan Yun-to, 43, is accused of conspiring to offer US$10,000 in bribes to Paul Chua, secretary-general of the Asian Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation, to enter the Games in 2006. He later won the men’s 75kg class. Yun-to has not been charged in the case.
Prosecutor Maggie Yang told the District Court that Yun-to and two other Hong Kong athletes were suspended from competition in 2005 for two years after failing doping tests at a South Korean event.
But Oliver Davies, lawyer for Yun-to, said there was no evidence to prove that Yun-to had taken performance-enhancing drugs in the South Korean competition.
The two other athletes, who are also suspended, have been granted immunity to testify against Yun-to in the trial, the prosecutor said.
Yun-to did not enter plea and was released on bail.
Story from the Thestar.com.my
Chan Yun-to, 43, is accused of conspiring to offer US$10,000 in bribes to Paul Chua, secretary-general of the Asian Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation, to enter the Games in 2006. He later won the men’s 75kg class. Yun-to has not been charged in the case.
Prosecutor Maggie Yang told the District Court that Yun-to and two other Hong Kong athletes were suspended from competition in 2005 for two years after failing doping tests at a South Korean event.
But Oliver Davies, lawyer for Yun-to, said there was no evidence to prove that Yun-to had taken performance-enhancing drugs in the South Korean competition.
The two other athletes, who are also suspended, have been granted immunity to testify against Yun-to in the trial, the prosecutor said.
Yun-to did not enter plea and was released on bail.
Story from the Thestar.com.my
Friday, 8 January 2010
"Anabolic steroids have long-lasting effects on male social behaviors"
Anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) use by adolescents is steadily increasing.
Adolescence involves remodeling of steroid-sensitive neural circuits that mediate social behaviors, and previous studies using animal models document effects of AAS on male social behaviors.
The present experiments tested whether AAS have persistent and more pronounced behavioral consequences when drug exposure occurs during adolescence as compared to exposure in adulthood.
Male Syrian hamsters were injected daily for 14 days with either vehicle or an AAS cocktail containing testosterone cypionate (2 mg/kg), nandrolone decanoate (2 mg/kg), and boldenone undecylenate (1 mg/kg), either during adolescence (27–41 days of age) or adulthood (63–77 days of age). (That's a dosage equivalent to 500mg a day for a 100kg person.)
As adults, subjects were tested two or four weeks after the last injection for either sexual behavior with a receptive female or male-male agonistic behavior in a resident-intruder test. Compared with vehicle-treated males, AAS-treated males, regardless of age of treatment, displayed fewer long intromissions and a significant increase in latency to the first long intromission, indicative of reduced potential to reach sexual satiety.
Increased aggression was observed in males exposed to AAS compared with males treated with vehicle, independently of age of AAS treatment. However, unlike hamsters exposed to AAS in adulthood, hamsters exposed to AAS during adolescence did not display any submissive or risk-assessment behaviors up to 4 weeks after discontinuation of AAS treatment. Thus, AAS have long-lasting effects on male sexual and agonistic behaviors, with AAS exposure during adolescence resulting in a more pronounced reduction in submissive behavior compared to AAS exposure in adulthood.
Read the full story on Science Direct.
Adolescence involves remodeling of steroid-sensitive neural circuits that mediate social behaviors, and previous studies using animal models document effects of AAS on male social behaviors.
The present experiments tested whether AAS have persistent and more pronounced behavioral consequences when drug exposure occurs during adolescence as compared to exposure in adulthood.
Male Syrian hamsters were injected daily for 14 days with either vehicle or an AAS cocktail containing testosterone cypionate (2 mg/kg), nandrolone decanoate (2 mg/kg), and boldenone undecylenate (1 mg/kg), either during adolescence (27–41 days of age) or adulthood (63–77 days of age). (That's a dosage equivalent to 500mg a day for a 100kg person.)
As adults, subjects were tested two or four weeks after the last injection for either sexual behavior with a receptive female or male-male agonistic behavior in a resident-intruder test. Compared with vehicle-treated males, AAS-treated males, regardless of age of treatment, displayed fewer long intromissions and a significant increase in latency to the first long intromission, indicative of reduced potential to reach sexual satiety.
Increased aggression was observed in males exposed to AAS compared with males treated with vehicle, independently of age of AAS treatment. However, unlike hamsters exposed to AAS in adulthood, hamsters exposed to AAS during adolescence did not display any submissive or risk-assessment behaviors up to 4 weeks after discontinuation of AAS treatment. Thus, AAS have long-lasting effects on male sexual and agonistic behaviors, with AAS exposure during adolescence resulting in a more pronounced reduction in submissive behavior compared to AAS exposure in adulthood.
Read the full story on Science Direct.
Canadian boxing coach Moscariello banned 12 years for administering steroids.
Canadian conditioning coach Valerio Moscariello has been banned for 12 years for administering steroids.
Moscariello admitted he gave steroids to Amanda Galle of Mississauga, Ont., a national-level boxer who received a two-year ban last April after testing positive for nandrolone.
Moscariello told the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) that he mistakenly injected Galle with deca-durabolin, a steroid that he used personally.
Galle won the Canadian boxing championships last February in Edmonton, but the title was later awarded to runner-up Alison Hunter when Galle's doping violation was discovered in an in-competition test in Trois Rivieres, Que.
Moscariello worked as a conditioning coach, personal trainer and nutritional consultant, but his ban prevents him from participating in any sport at any level and in any role.
Story from CanadianPress via Google.
Updated thanks to reader comment, turns out this chap ran a steroid site he was busted and jailed for in 2005 :-
A Canadian citizen residing in Henderson, Nevada, has been sentenced to five months in federal prison and three years of supervised release for his guilty plea to possession with the intent to distribute anabolic steroids, announced Daniel G. Bogden, United States Attorney for the District of Nevada.
Moscariello admitted he gave steroids to Amanda Galle of Mississauga, Ont., a national-level boxer who received a two-year ban last April after testing positive for nandrolone.
Moscariello told the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) that he mistakenly injected Galle with deca-durabolin, a steroid that he used personally.
Galle won the Canadian boxing championships last February in Edmonton, but the title was later awarded to runner-up Alison Hunter when Galle's doping violation was discovered in an in-competition test in Trois Rivieres, Que.
Moscariello worked as a conditioning coach, personal trainer and nutritional consultant, but his ban prevents him from participating in any sport at any level and in any role.
Story from CanadianPress via Google.
Updated thanks to reader comment, turns out this chap ran a steroid site he was busted and jailed for in 2005 :-
A Canadian citizen residing in Henderson, Nevada, has been sentenced to five months in federal prison and three years of supervised release for his guilty plea to possession with the intent to distribute anabolic steroids, announced Daniel G. Bogden, United States Attorney for the District of Nevada.
VALERIO MOSCARIELLO, age 31, of Toronto, Canada, pleaded guilty in August to the felony offense. He admitted to unlawfully possessing 27 units (270 cc) of anabolic steroids, Schedule III controlled substances, and to operating a website at www.juiceworld.com, that was accessible to the general public for the purpose of distributing these anabolic steroids.
“Individuals who unlawfully distribute drugs, including anabolic steroids, over the Internet will be prosecuted and possibly sentenced to lengthy terms of imprisonment,” said U.S. Attorney Bogden. “Purchasing controlled substances from unlicensed persons without a valid prescription is unsafe and could threaten your life or the lives of others.”
The sentence was handed down on Monday, October 31, 2005, by U.S. District Judge
Roger L. Hunt, and included an enhancement under the federal sentencing guidelines for distributing the substances through mass-marketing by means of an interactive computer service.
In February 2005, U.S. Postal Inspectors tracked a steroid distribution operation to the
defendant’s residence in Henderson. In June 2005, law enforcement officers executed a search of the residence and seized a quantity of anabolic steroids, including Primobolon Depot, Deca Nadrolone Decanoate, and Trenbolone Acetate. They also seized “buy-owe” sheets, materials such as small bottles and syringes consistent with the repackaging of these substances, and approximately $16,000 in cash.
MOSCARIELLO must remove his website www.juiceworld.com from the internet and
surrender the unlawful items seized from his home in June. He is presently in immigration custody awaiting a removal hearing.
The case was investigated by Inspectors with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Special
Agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Officers with the Henderson Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Crane M. Pomerantz.
Wednesday, 6 January 2010
Bust in Massachusetts coming very soon ?
Police say they helped federal agents intercept $12,000 worth of a hormone drug that was shipped from Hong Kong to Massachusetts. ( more like $300 worth )
Authorities seized six packages containing human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), which got through customs because it was hidden in PlayStation video games and accessories, said Detective Jay Ball. ( it got through because it wasn't randomly checked )
"We thought they were human growth hormones, but they are actually female hormones being sent into the country illegally," Ball said.
Ball said the bust was the first of its kind for him, and federal agents called it unusual.
Police started working the case around Christmas with a federal Drug Enforcement Administration task force and the U.S. postal inspector's office.
Ball said an alert citizen notified authorities about the shipments. Authorities are chasing leads, and the case is still under investigation. Ball would not say where the shipments were headed. "They were intended for an address" in Massachusetts, he said.
There were 10 vials of the drug in each of the six packages - large yellow envelopes - and each vial is worth $200.
Story from MilfordDailyNews.com
I have no idea why the press have been tipped off about this case in advance of any arrests being made but hopefully it will help some of you to stay safe.
Hearing set for ‘Wrestler’ actor; lawyer disputes feds' reports in steroids case.
A federal judge has scheduled a hearing next week to delve into actor Scott Siegel's behavior the night he led federal agents and police on a wild Hollywood-style chase through Eastchester and Tuckahoe.
Siegel, 35, of Nautilus Place, New Rochelle, has already pleaded guilty in the case that stemmed from the chase Feb. 18.
Federal agents were attempting to arrest Siegel in connection with possession and distribution of illegal steroids when he fled. Siegel played a steroids dealer in the film "The Wrestler," starring Mickey Rourke.
Siegel's lawyer, Barry Levin, has filed objections to a presentencing report that says Siegel deliberately tried to run down two officers during the chase.
The presentencing report, prepared by the U.S. Department of Probation, says Siegel "drove directly at two law enforcement officers who were on foot, one of whom is an officer in the (federal) task force, in an apparent effort to run them over."
One of the officers fired his gun at Siegel's car in an effort to stop him, the report said, according to papers filed in U.S. District Court in White Plains. But Levin said Siegel actually tried to avoid the officers, one of whom had slipped in the snow and was crawling toward Siegel's car.
"Siegel backed up his vehicle and drove away from the officer onto a curb and around the police cruiser," he said in papers. "At no point did the defendant drive his vehicle toward either the officer or the vehicle."
Levin said that version can be verified by video recordings of the chase. "At no point during the 30-minute car chase did defendant Scott Siegel intend to injure, nor did he injure, any task force officer," Levin said.
The U.S. Attorney's Office said it is prepared to call a half-dozen witnesses to back up the presentencing report on the chase. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Krissoff said in a letter to U.S. District Judge Kenneth Karas that it would likely take two days to conduct a full hearing into the matter.
Siegel faces a possible 20 years in prison for his guilty plea to steroid possession and assault on a federal officer. But federal sentencing guidelines will likely call for a sentence of between 51 and 63 months in prison.
The degree to which Siegel endangered officers and the public during his chase could be a factor in Karas' sentence. Karas scheduled a conference for Feb. 11 to determine the scope of possible further hearings regarding the dispute.
Story from LoHud.com
Siegel, 35, of Nautilus Place, New Rochelle, has already pleaded guilty in the case that stemmed from the chase Feb. 18.
Federal agents were attempting to arrest Siegel in connection with possession and distribution of illegal steroids when he fled. Siegel played a steroids dealer in the film "The Wrestler," starring Mickey Rourke.
Siegel's lawyer, Barry Levin, has filed objections to a presentencing report that says Siegel deliberately tried to run down two officers during the chase.
The presentencing report, prepared by the U.S. Department of Probation, says Siegel "drove directly at two law enforcement officers who were on foot, one of whom is an officer in the (federal) task force, in an apparent effort to run them over."
One of the officers fired his gun at Siegel's car in an effort to stop him, the report said, according to papers filed in U.S. District Court in White Plains. But Levin said Siegel actually tried to avoid the officers, one of whom had slipped in the snow and was crawling toward Siegel's car.
"Siegel backed up his vehicle and drove away from the officer onto a curb and around the police cruiser," he said in papers. "At no point did the defendant drive his vehicle toward either the officer or the vehicle."
Levin said that version can be verified by video recordings of the chase. "At no point during the 30-minute car chase did defendant Scott Siegel intend to injure, nor did he injure, any task force officer," Levin said.
The U.S. Attorney's Office said it is prepared to call a half-dozen witnesses to back up the presentencing report on the chase. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Krissoff said in a letter to U.S. District Judge Kenneth Karas that it would likely take two days to conduct a full hearing into the matter.
Siegel faces a possible 20 years in prison for his guilty plea to steroid possession and assault on a federal officer. But federal sentencing guidelines will likely call for a sentence of between 51 and 63 months in prison.
The degree to which Siegel endangered officers and the public during his chase could be a factor in Karas' sentence. Karas scheduled a conference for Feb. 11 to determine the scope of possible further hearings regarding the dispute.
Story from LoHud.com
Tuesday, 5 January 2010
Wrestler Jeff Hardy indicted.
Jeff Hardy's drug arrest went to the grand jury yesterday in Moore County of North Carolina. The grand jury found that there was enough evidence in indict Hardy and the case has been sent to Superior Court, according to a spokesperson with the Moore County Court in NC.
Hardy's case will be officially set on their docket within the next week.
Hardy was set for a probable cause hearing on 1/27 in regard to his September 2009 drug arrest. That hearing would have determined whether there was enough evidence regarding the arrest to go on the grand jury, but is not a hearing that is absolutely required. It appears that prosecutors opted to forgo that hearing and go right to the grand jury in order to move the case along.
Story from PWInsider.com
Hardy's case will be officially set on their docket within the next week.
Hardy was set for a probable cause hearing on 1/27 in regard to his September 2009 drug arrest. That hearing would have determined whether there was enough evidence regarding the arrest to go on the grand jury, but is not a hearing that is absolutely required. It appears that prosecutors opted to forgo that hearing and go right to the grand jury in order to move the case along.
Story from PWInsider.com
More info on Applied Pharmacy Services case.
Colorado Springs pharmacy owner Thomas Bader knew he was breaking the law by importing and distributing human growth hormones from China, prosecutors charged Tuesday.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jaime Peña told a federal jury that Bader and a sales representative had an attitude as they pursued their illicit business.
“They told us we couldn’t do it so we did it anyway,” Peña said, describing that attitude in opening statements of a trial in which Bader, 67, is accused of conspiracy, smuggling and illegal distribution of the hormones. Prosecutors contend the hormones lacked U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval.
But Bader’s lawyer told the jurors that the case is far more complex and the law on the issue is far from clear.
Charles Torres said the real culprits in the case were a group of “rogue doctors” who were improperly writing prescriptions for the hormone for uses that were not approved.
He said the charges were also the result of Bader standing up for his rights as a compound pharmacist in successfully challenging FDA tactics.
“The evidence is going to show that what the FDA couldn’t accomplish in two civil cases they are now trying to accomplish in a criminal case,” Torres said.
In August 2007, a federal grand jury indicted Bader and two other men on charges that they smuggled the unapproved growth hormones into the country and then sold it to doctors in several states.
It was a lucrative business, Peña said. Between April 2004 through June 2007, Bader’s College Pharmacy made about $4.7 million on sales of the hormone, he said.
“It was their hottest seller and had the biggest profit margin,” said Peña, who described Bader as being a “hands-on” owner in the business.
Torres countered that Bader was looking to sell the business to his employees and had hired a manager to handle the day-to-day business.
He described the government’s case as “not well thought out.”
If Bader is convicted, prosecutors plan to force Bader to forfeit his profits from the sales as well as property in Colorado Springs, Florida, Iowa and North Carolina.
The trial is expected to take about four weeks.
Story from the Gazette.com
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jaime Peña told a federal jury that Bader and a sales representative had an attitude as they pursued their illicit business.
“They told us we couldn’t do it so we did it anyway,” Peña said, describing that attitude in opening statements of a trial in which Bader, 67, is accused of conspiracy, smuggling and illegal distribution of the hormones. Prosecutors contend the hormones lacked U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval.
But Bader’s lawyer told the jurors that the case is far more complex and the law on the issue is far from clear.
Charles Torres said the real culprits in the case were a group of “rogue doctors” who were improperly writing prescriptions for the hormone for uses that were not approved.
He said the charges were also the result of Bader standing up for his rights as a compound pharmacist in successfully challenging FDA tactics.
“The evidence is going to show that what the FDA couldn’t accomplish in two civil cases they are now trying to accomplish in a criminal case,” Torres said.
In August 2007, a federal grand jury indicted Bader and two other men on charges that they smuggled the unapproved growth hormones into the country and then sold it to doctors in several states.
It was a lucrative business, Peña said. Between April 2004 through June 2007, Bader’s College Pharmacy made about $4.7 million on sales of the hormone, he said.
“It was their hottest seller and had the biggest profit margin,” said Peña, who described Bader as being a “hands-on” owner in the business.
Torres countered that Bader was looking to sell the business to his employees and had hired a manager to handle the day-to-day business.
He described the government’s case as “not well thought out.”
If Bader is convicted, prosecutors plan to force Bader to forfeit his profits from the sales as well as property in Colorado Springs, Florida, Iowa and North Carolina.
The trial is expected to take about four weeks.
Story from the Gazette.com
Doctor Crisler and his AllThingsMale.com website getting bad press thanks to James Ray's Sedona sweat lodge lawsuits.
Dr. Crisler operates the website, allthingsmale.com, and offers in-clinic and online consultations. The frontpage of his site argues strongly that he is in the business of anti-aging therapies as shown lecturing to the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine and offering subscriptions to Life Extension Magazine. Further exploration of his website reveals that he specializes further in assessment of low testosterone levels, or hypogonadism.
Testosterone cypionate, hGH, hCG, Arimidex (anastrozole) and finasteride (sold previously as Propecia or Proscar, but now available generically). OK, that's starting to make sense. Testosterone and human growth hormone (hGH) are anabolic agents. That is, they enhance the development of lean, skeletal muscle mass. The larger cocktail is a typical bodybuilding/anti-aging regimen that is also purported to enhance sex drive. But you might have some questions at first glance.
Full long story on ScienceBlogs.com
Testosterone cypionate, hGH, hCG, Arimidex (anastrozole) and finasteride (sold previously as Propecia or Proscar, but now available generically). OK, that's starting to make sense. Testosterone and human growth hormone (hGH) are anabolic agents. That is, they enhance the development of lean, skeletal muscle mass. The larger cocktail is a typical bodybuilding/anti-aging regimen that is also purported to enhance sex drive. But you might have some questions at first glance.
Full long story on ScienceBlogs.com
Good news for athletes "EPO tablet coming soon."
Akebia Therapeutics has successfully completed a Phase I trial of its anemia drug in healthy human volunteers, the company announced.
The drug, a pill known as AKB-6548, was shown to successfully and safely produce the erythropoietin (EPO) hormone that promotes the growth of red blood cells in bone marrow.
Full story from MedCityNews.com
The drug, a pill known as AKB-6548, was shown to successfully and safely produce the erythropoietin (EPO) hormone that promotes the growth of red blood cells in bone marrow.
Full story from MedCityNews.com
Study finds blocking androgen receptors speeds up wound healing.
A molecular receptor vital to the functioning of male hormone testosterone also plays a key role in healing.
In mice studies, University of Rochester Medical Centre (URMC) scientists found that this receptor, the androgen receptor, delays wound healing. However, when they blocked the receptor with an experimental compound, wounds healed much more quickly.
“Turning off the androgen receptor only where you want to, and nowhere else, could lead to new treatments for diseases like prostate cancer and for speeding wound healing,” said Edward Messing, urologist and surgeon at the URMC, not involved in the study.
“Currently there is no way of preventing androgens in your body from reaching just one particular wound or one specific part of the body,” said Messing.
“To stop them anywhere, you need to turn off androgens throughout the body, which has severe and unpleasant side effects, particularly in men,” added Messing.
Read the full story on www.thaindian.com
In mice studies, University of Rochester Medical Centre (URMC) scientists found that this receptor, the androgen receptor, delays wound healing. However, when they blocked the receptor with an experimental compound, wounds healed much more quickly.
“Turning off the androgen receptor only where you want to, and nowhere else, could lead to new treatments for diseases like prostate cancer and for speeding wound healing,” said Edward Messing, urologist and surgeon at the URMC, not involved in the study.
“Currently there is no way of preventing androgens in your body from reaching just one particular wound or one specific part of the body,” said Messing.
“To stop them anywhere, you need to turn off androgens throughout the body, which has severe and unpleasant side effects, particularly in men,” added Messing.
Read the full story on www.thaindian.com
Trial in Applied Pharmacy Services steroids case begins.
The trial of 10 men charged in a steroids conspiracy involving an online pharmacy based in Mobile has begun.
Prosecutors told jurors Monday that Applied Pharmacy Services was the epicenter of a wide-ranging conspiracy that sold doses of dangerous steroids to customers in nearly every state.
Chief U.S. District Judge Ginny Granade last week handed prosecutors a victory by deciding to allow them to introduce evidence about a Colorado businessman's alleged history with steroids.
Brett Branch, who ran an Eaton, Colo. health company that authorities contend illegally sold steroids, is 1 of 12 people named in the indictment.
Branch and business owners are accused of recruiting doctors to write bogus prescriptions for anabolic steroids, which Applied Pharmacy Services filled.
Story from News8.
A pharmacy near Bel Air Mall was the epicenter of a wide-ranging conspiracy that sold thousands of doses of dangerous steroids to customers in nearly every state, a federal prosecutor told jurors today as the trial of 10 defendants got under way.
With the defense lawyers crammed shoulder to shoulder at a trio of tables in front them, the defendants watched from a long bench as Assistant U.S. Attorney Donna Dobbins laid out the prosecution's case that Applied Pharmacy Services reaped hundreds of thousands of dollars by mass producing steroids without valid prescriptions.
"These defendants were part of a nationwide conspiracy to illegally sell thousands of doses of anabolic steroids to users throughout this country," she said. "Daily, these defendants put the health and safety of hundreds of people at risk for millions of dollars. They were motivated by greed and greed alone."
Applied Pharmacy, which operated out of a nondescript building near Bel Air Mall, was a compounding pharmacy. Unlike a retail pharmacy, a compounding pharmacy alters medication to the specifications of a doctor.
Dobbins said that A. Samuel Kelley II, the pharmacy's president and CEO, made $1 million over a three-year period off the sale of steroids without a valid prescription. She told jurors that Jodi Silvio, the treasurer and part owner, made $560,000 from the sales.
The customers, Dobbins said, were mostly male and included teenagers. She added that some of the drugs were powerful growth hormones approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use only in animals like cows and horses.
"Once they take their lab coats off, they're just like any other drug dealer," she said.
Defense attorneys took turns telling jurors that their clients are innocent. They said the pharmacists relied on the prescriptions written by licensed physicians.
Story from AL.com
Trial began Monday in the case of a Mobile based pharmaceutical company accused of supplying steroids to athletes allegedly including Heavyweight Champion Evander Holyfield, retired baseball star Jose Canseco, and Los Angeles Angels center fielder Gary matthews.
Investigation into Applied Pharmacy Services of Mobile started in 2007. In 2008, 12 people were named in the 198 count federal indictment. They were accused of conspiracy to dispense and distribute anabolic steroids.
Monday, 11 of them went before Judge Ginny Granade at the Federal Courthouse in Mobile.
Brett Branch, an Applied Pharmacy sales representative from Colorado, is one of the men involved. He is accused of recruiting doctors to write prescriptions for steroids.
Investigators say pharmacists at Applied Pharmacy Services would fill and ship the prescriptions.
Court documents also name three Applied Pharmacy shareholders, Jason Kelley, Jody Silvio, and Samuel Kelley as participants in the conspiracy. They face charges that could land them up to five years in prison if convicted.
Pharmacists Michael Bennett, Robin Kelly, Mallory Mallon, and Roger Everett face the same charges.
Alternative medical practitioner Jesse Haggard, and Ronald Winter are also named as distributors.
The indictment accuses James Abernathy and Daniel Riedel of selling illegal prescriptions.
Applied Pharmacy Services was located off International Drive in Mobile. New owners took over office space, and renamed it in June 2008.
Story from Fox10TV.com
Prosecutors told jurors Monday that Applied Pharmacy Services was the epicenter of a wide-ranging conspiracy that sold doses of dangerous steroids to customers in nearly every state.
Chief U.S. District Judge Ginny Granade last week handed prosecutors a victory by deciding to allow them to introduce evidence about a Colorado businessman's alleged history with steroids.
Brett Branch, who ran an Eaton, Colo. health company that authorities contend illegally sold steroids, is 1 of 12 people named in the indictment.
Branch and business owners are accused of recruiting doctors to write bogus prescriptions for anabolic steroids, which Applied Pharmacy Services filled.
Story from News8.
A pharmacy near Bel Air Mall was the epicenter of a wide-ranging conspiracy that sold thousands of doses of dangerous steroids to customers in nearly every state, a federal prosecutor told jurors today as the trial of 10 defendants got under way.
With the defense lawyers crammed shoulder to shoulder at a trio of tables in front them, the defendants watched from a long bench as Assistant U.S. Attorney Donna Dobbins laid out the prosecution's case that Applied Pharmacy Services reaped hundreds of thousands of dollars by mass producing steroids without valid prescriptions.
"These defendants were part of a nationwide conspiracy to illegally sell thousands of doses of anabolic steroids to users throughout this country," she said. "Daily, these defendants put the health and safety of hundreds of people at risk for millions of dollars. They were motivated by greed and greed alone."
Applied Pharmacy, which operated out of a nondescript building near Bel Air Mall, was a compounding pharmacy. Unlike a retail pharmacy, a compounding pharmacy alters medication to the specifications of a doctor.
Dobbins said that A. Samuel Kelley II, the pharmacy's president and CEO, made $1 million over a three-year period off the sale of steroids without a valid prescription. She told jurors that Jodi Silvio, the treasurer and part owner, made $560,000 from the sales.
The customers, Dobbins said, were mostly male and included teenagers. She added that some of the drugs were powerful growth hormones approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use only in animals like cows and horses.
"Once they take their lab coats off, they're just like any other drug dealer," she said.
Defense attorneys took turns telling jurors that their clients are innocent. They said the pharmacists relied on the prescriptions written by licensed physicians.
Story from AL.com
Trial began Monday in the case of a Mobile based pharmaceutical company accused of supplying steroids to athletes allegedly including Heavyweight Champion Evander Holyfield, retired baseball star Jose Canseco, and Los Angeles Angels center fielder Gary matthews.
Investigation into Applied Pharmacy Services of Mobile started in 2007. In 2008, 12 people were named in the 198 count federal indictment. They were accused of conspiracy to dispense and distribute anabolic steroids.
Monday, 11 of them went before Judge Ginny Granade at the Federal Courthouse in Mobile.
Brett Branch, an Applied Pharmacy sales representative from Colorado, is one of the men involved. He is accused of recruiting doctors to write prescriptions for steroids.
Investigators say pharmacists at Applied Pharmacy Services would fill and ship the prescriptions.
Court documents also name three Applied Pharmacy shareholders, Jason Kelley, Jody Silvio, and Samuel Kelley as participants in the conspiracy. They face charges that could land them up to five years in prison if convicted.
Pharmacists Michael Bennett, Robin Kelly, Mallory Mallon, and Roger Everett face the same charges.
Alternative medical practitioner Jesse Haggard, and Ronald Winter are also named as distributors.
The indictment accuses James Abernathy and Daniel Riedel of selling illegal prescriptions.
Applied Pharmacy Services was located off International Drive in Mobile. New owners took over office space, and renamed it in June 2008.
Story from Fox10TV.com
Desma Winstrol Depot from UK blackmarket.
The only real anti-counterfeiting feature on the current Desma Winstrol depot box is it's hologram. The hologram itself is quite hard to photograph as it changes depending on the angle you view it from and the amount of light shining on it.
This is hopefully a real sample of Batch B019, sadly I promised their owner that I wouldn't break the seals so couldn't shoot the amps themselves.
Please compare these holograms to those on the Desma's you've used / purchased recently and let me know what you think ( in the comments ).
This is hopefully a real sample of Batch B019, sadly I promised their owner that I wouldn't break the seals so couldn't shoot the amps themselves.
Please compare these holograms to those on the Desma's you've used / purchased recently and let me know what you think ( in the comments ).
Monday, 4 January 2010
Financial Times story on Britain's top sports doping defense lawyer.
I am a sports lawyer in London and my specialism is doping regulation. I act for sports governing bodies and also defend athletes who have tested positive after a drugs test.
The rules against doping are, rightly, strict. But they do occasionally catch people out who never intended to cheat. Perhaps an athlete took a cough medicine or a contaminated supplement.
Most lawyers work on precedent, but doping cases require some detective work. Last year, I represented an international rugby player who faced a two-year ban after testing positive for elevated levels of testosterone. We got the case dismissed after we proved his testosterone had spiked following a particularly heavy drinking session. Few people knew alcohol could do that, so it was a unique case.
An inadvertent mistake can end a career. It is not just the individual who suffers but also families, team mates and clubs.
Some athletes may have sponsors who paid large sums for endorsements or campaigns.
My job can involve long hours. Investigative work keeps me at the office – calling scientists around the world or scouring the internet for research papers. When you are working with an athlete whose livelihood is at stake, you do all you can to find out what is going on.
Story from Britian's FT.
The rules against doping are, rightly, strict. But they do occasionally catch people out who never intended to cheat. Perhaps an athlete took a cough medicine or a contaminated supplement.
Most lawyers work on precedent, but doping cases require some detective work. Last year, I represented an international rugby player who faced a two-year ban after testing positive for elevated levels of testosterone. We got the case dismissed after we proved his testosterone had spiked following a particularly heavy drinking session. Few people knew alcohol could do that, so it was a unique case.
An inadvertent mistake can end a career. It is not just the individual who suffers but also families, team mates and clubs.
Some athletes may have sponsors who paid large sums for endorsements or campaigns.
My job can involve long hours. Investigative work keeps me at the office – calling scientists around the world or scouring the internet for research papers. When you are working with an athlete whose livelihood is at stake, you do all you can to find out what is going on.
Story from Britian's FT.
Saturday, 2 January 2010
Geneza Pharmaceuticals update.
Geneza Pharmaceuticals is one of the biggest brands on the market. They recently announced the launch of several interesting new products for 2010 :-GP Bolasterone 50mg/tab
GP Cheque Drops 100mcg/tab
GP M.D. - Methandriol Dipropionate 75mg/ml
GP MENT - Trestolone Acetate 50mg/ml
GP Andromix - Blend of 50mg T prop + 50mg trenbolone acetate + 50mg Drostanolone Prop
GP Test U500 -Testosterone Undecanoate 500mg/ml
Geneza Pharmaceuticals also has a new impersonator using the domain "GenezaPharmaceuticals.EU" ( run by a scammer calling himself Robert Aurel based in Bucharest, Romainia. )
On this post you can see our pictures of some of the current Geneza Pharmaceuticals product range. The pic above shows Geneza's GP Deca 250, GP Prima 100 and GP Mast 200 10ml vials.
The pic below shows GP's "figure 8" imprinted flip off caps.
GP vial labels feature gold hot foil stamping rather than the common holographic sticker.
Each product has a unique ISN which can be checked on their website.
Pouches of GP Turan ( 50 x 10mg ) and GP Clen ( 100 x 40mcg ). The sachets are very small and vacuum packed, we presume to reduce shipping volume and noise.
Geneza fans should be sure to check out the new JuicedMuscle.com forum from Naps.
( it's pretty quiet at the moment but should get much more busy over the next few weeks )
Friday, 1 January 2010
Complicated pharmaceutical scam from India.
In yet another revelation in the counterfeit drug scam, the Transport Nagar police raided the mastermind Navneet Sharma's office in Ghaziabad on Tuesday and recovered documents proving that the accused had swindled at least Rs 36 lakh out of 23 multinational companies.
In a unique modus-operandi, the accused and his gang used to sign contracts with multi-national companies for exposing counterfeit drugs of these companies being sold in the market. The accused used to charge up to Rs 1.25 lakh from each company for a police raid. They used to plant the counterfeit medicines prepared by these companies at a place and then they, themselves, informed the police and took them to that place. After the police recovered the drugs from the stipulated spot, the accused would send a copy of FIR to the companies and earn the contract money.
"We have arrested five gang members from Ghaziabad in UP and they have confessed to 11 police raids in which they planted the counterfeit drugs and tipped off the police about it. As per the contracts with the multi-national companies, they would send the FIR claiming that they had busted a counterfeit drug racket and claimed the money," said Suryaveer Singh, incharge of Transport Nagar police station.
Full story from IndiaTimes.com
In a unique modus-operandi, the accused and his gang used to sign contracts with multi-national companies for exposing counterfeit drugs of these companies being sold in the market. The accused used to charge up to Rs 1.25 lakh from each company for a police raid. They used to plant the counterfeit medicines prepared by these companies at a place and then they, themselves, informed the police and took them to that place. After the police recovered the drugs from the stipulated spot, the accused would send a copy of FIR to the companies and earn the contract money.
"We have arrested five gang members from Ghaziabad in UP and they have confessed to 11 police raids in which they planted the counterfeit drugs and tipped off the police about it. As per the contracts with the multi-national companies, they would send the FIR claiming that they had busted a counterfeit drug racket and claimed the money," said Suryaveer Singh, incharge of Transport Nagar police station.
Full story from IndiaTimes.com
Russian cross country skiers caught doping banned for two years
Russian cross-country skiers caught during the World Cup races in Whistler in January 2009 have been banned from competition until 2011.
Both Natalia Matveeva and Julija Tchepalova tested positive for the blood booster EPO, or erythropoietin, a hormone that enhances the production of red blood cells, which carry oxygen. Synthetic EPO is banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which developed a test for the substance in 2000.
Story from Piquenewsmagazine.com
Both Natalia Matveeva and Julija Tchepalova tested positive for the blood booster EPO, or erythropoietin, a hormone that enhances the production of red blood cells, which carry oxygen. Synthetic EPO is banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which developed a test for the substance in 2000.
Story from Piquenewsmagazine.com
FDA warns of extortion scam targeting online pharmacy customers.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning the public about criminals posing as FDA special agents and other law enforcement personnel as part of an international extortion scam.
The criminals call the victims -- who in most cases previously purchased drugs over the Internet or via "telepharmacies" -- and identify themselves as FDA special agents or other law enforcement officials. The criminals inform the victims that purchasing drugs over the Internet or the telephone is illegal, and that law enforcement action will be pursued unless a fine or fee ranging from $100 to $250,000 is paid. Victims often also have fraudulent transactions placed against their credit cards.
The criminals always request the money be sent by wire transfer to a designated location, usually in the Dominican Republic. If victims refuse to send money, they are often threatened with a search of their property, arrest, deportation, physical harm, and or incarceration.
"Impersonating an FDA official is a violation of federal law," said Michael Chappell, the FDA's acting associate commissioner for regulatory affairs. "The public should note that no FDA official will ever contact a consumer by phone demanding money or any other form of payment.”
FDA special agents and other law enforcement officials are not authorized to impose or collect criminal fines. Only a court can take such action, with fines payable to the U.S. Treasury.
Story from the FDA.
The criminals call the victims -- who in most cases previously purchased drugs over the Internet or via "telepharmacies" -- and identify themselves as FDA special agents or other law enforcement officials. The criminals inform the victims that purchasing drugs over the Internet or the telephone is illegal, and that law enforcement action will be pursued unless a fine or fee ranging from $100 to $250,000 is paid. Victims often also have fraudulent transactions placed against their credit cards.
The criminals always request the money be sent by wire transfer to a designated location, usually in the Dominican Republic. If victims refuse to send money, they are often threatened with a search of their property, arrest, deportation, physical harm, and or incarceration.
"Impersonating an FDA official is a violation of federal law," said Michael Chappell, the FDA's acting associate commissioner for regulatory affairs. "The public should note that no FDA official will ever contact a consumer by phone demanding money or any other form of payment.”
FDA special agents and other law enforcement officials are not authorized to impose or collect criminal fines. Only a court can take such action, with fines payable to the U.S. Treasury.
Story from the FDA.
Thursday, 31 December 2009
Former trooper gets probation in steroids case.
A former state trooper convicted for possession of anabolic steroids has been sentenced to two years of supervised probation.
The punishment was handed down Tuesday in Natrona District Court in the case of 28-year-old Adam Longo.
Longo pleaded guilty on October to possession of a controlled substance, a crime that carries a maximum of 5 years in prison. But prosecutors recommended probation, saying Longo reported the crime and has no criminal history.
Longo's name surfaced during a broader investigation that ultimately nabbed two other former troopers, Devan Henderson and Franklin Ryle Jr. Ryle and Henderson were accused of bringing the steroids from Mexico to Wyoming.
Longo told the judge he is ashamed and disappointed in the decisions he made.
He was also ordered to perform 100 hours of community service.
Story from Localnews8.com
The punishment was handed down Tuesday in Natrona District Court in the case of 28-year-old Adam Longo.
Longo pleaded guilty on October to possession of a controlled substance, a crime that carries a maximum of 5 years in prison. But prosecutors recommended probation, saying Longo reported the crime and has no criminal history.
Longo's name surfaced during a broader investigation that ultimately nabbed two other former troopers, Devan Henderson and Franklin Ryle Jr. Ryle and Henderson were accused of bringing the steroids from Mexico to Wyoming.
Longo told the judge he is ashamed and disappointed in the decisions he made.
He was also ordered to perform 100 hours of community service.
Story from Localnews8.com
Tuesday, 29 December 2009
Pharmacy in earlier investigation alleged to be part of international smuggling network.
An Orlando pharmacy whose operators were snared nearly three years ago in an Albany County criminal probe has been implicated in an international network that federal authorities say smuggled human growth hormone from China to the United States, court records show.
The role of Florida's Signature Compounding Pharmacy in the distribution of human growth hormone is highlighted in a partially sealed federal criminal case in Rhode Island that was never announced by the Justice Department.
Signature's alleged role in the wider federal case comes as an appellate court in Albany is set to rule soon on whether state criminal charges against the pharmacy's operators should be reinstated here.
The role of Florida's Signature Compounding Pharmacy in the distribution of human growth hormone is highlighted in a partially sealed federal criminal case in Rhode Island that was never announced by the Justice Department.
Signature's alleged role in the wider federal case comes as an appellate court in Albany is set to rule soon on whether state criminal charges against the pharmacy's operators should be reinstated here.
Signature pharmacy is identified in Effron's court papers by name and also as "pharmacy X." Two Florida physicians, Gary Brandwein and Claire Godfrey, who pleaded guilty to felony criminal charges in Albany related to prescriptions they wrote through Signature pharmacy, also are identified in Effron's criminal case.
The criminal charges against Effron detail his importing HGH from a Hong Kong company, GeneScience Pharmaceutical Co., whose founder, Lei Jin, was indicted on similar federal drug smuggling charges in Rhode Island two years ago. Jin pleaded not guilty and his case is pending.
"Pharmacy X was a licensed pharmacy located in Orlando, Florida," states an 18-page criminal information filed against Effron in June. "Pharmacy X contracted Effron to facilitate the smuggling of HGH from GPC in China to Florida."
Between 2004 and 2007 Effron, "acting on behalf of Pharmacy X," illegally imported more than $690,000 worth of HGH from China, court records show.
Effron and Lei Jin, who often used e-mails to discuss their importation of HGH, met at least three times in Orlando and China regarding their alleged conspiracy. "The owners of Pharmacy X were present during at least one of those meetings," prosecutors said in court filings.Pharmacy X and Effron took steps to conceal the origin of the HGH that was being imported (from China) because they knew that HGH manufactured by GPC was not an approved drug, that it was on the FDA seizure list, and that, in any event, Effron was not a licensed wholesale drug distributor," prosecutors wrote in Effron's criminal information.
Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/Judge Rules Internal Steroid Trial of Police Chief Can Be Closed.
A Manhattan Supreme Court judge has ruled that the NYPD tribunal where Deputy Chief Michael Marino is being tried on steroids charges must be kept closed during testimony related to his medical condition and treatment.
Story from TheChief-Leader.com
Story from TheChief-Leader.com
Monday, 28 December 2009
Russian K1 fighter Zabit Samedov interviewed.
Almost all Dutch fighters juice. For example, in Golden Glory it’s almost a part of the club’s policy. They shoot up and fight like it’s nothing. Because of that when they get to the ring they start raging. Think about it yourself, how could Bard Hari change his physical complexion so much in two years?
Karaev trained in Holland and said that Zimmerman shoots up in front of everyone and only after that starts training. Look at what an elephant Zimmerman had become in just two years. But most of these fighters pass all medical tests for steroids.How? They consume extremely high level new pharmaceutical drugs and go through a very expensive three months cycle. So they can get huge.
And I'm that rare breed of athlete that doesn't juice. Even though some time ago there were rumors that in Las Vegas they found some anabolic compounds in my blood but that was all settled. But I still don't know what really happened. I came to Vegas it was 45 degree heat (Celsius) so the conditioner was on all the time and I got chilled. I had an energy drink before the fight. Before the Grand Pri I also injured my elbow which they had to anesthetize. Maybe they used something... think about it, I weighed just 88 kilos. What anabolics can you possibly talk about?
Remember how Badr Hari fought in the finals last year? And then a month later he lost by KO to Overeem. I think the juice stopped working by the time he fought Overeem so that played a role.
Do you know why I am just about the lightest K1 fighter? Because I don’t shoot up roids. I’m a professional athlete, I don’t even take vitamins. I’m lazy when it comes to those things. Besides, we don’t have the money and the sponsors to go through a similar Dutch cycle. Nor do we have competent specialists who could monitor the intake of these drugs.
So we have to fight in these unequal conditions.
Story from HeadKickLegend.com
Karaev trained in Holland and said that Zimmerman shoots up in front of everyone and only after that starts training. Look at what an elephant Zimmerman had become in just two years. But most of these fighters pass all medical tests for steroids.How? They consume extremely high level new pharmaceutical drugs and go through a very expensive three months cycle. So they can get huge.
And I'm that rare breed of athlete that doesn't juice. Even though some time ago there were rumors that in Las Vegas they found some anabolic compounds in my blood but that was all settled. But I still don't know what really happened. I came to Vegas it was 45 degree heat (Celsius) so the conditioner was on all the time and I got chilled. I had an energy drink before the fight. Before the Grand Pri I also injured my elbow which they had to anesthetize. Maybe they used something... think about it, I weighed just 88 kilos. What anabolics can you possibly talk about?
Remember how Badr Hari fought in the finals last year? And then a month later he lost by KO to Overeem. I think the juice stopped working by the time he fought Overeem so that played a role.
Do you know why I am just about the lightest K1 fighter? Because I don’t shoot up roids. I’m a professional athlete, I don’t even take vitamins. I’m lazy when it comes to those things. Besides, we don’t have the money and the sponsors to go through a similar Dutch cycle. Nor do we have competent specialists who could monitor the intake of these drugs.
So we have to fight in these unequal conditions.
Story from HeadKickLegend.com
NYPD presses cop-steroid ban.
"City cops have been told to stay off the "juice" -- or else.
In an effort to create a stricter steroid ban, the NYPD last week issued a stern warning to its members not to bulk up with supplements purchased online or over the counter.
A bulletin distributed at roll call identified 21 nutritional supplements that contained steroids but failed to list them on their labels.
All dietary supplements are also forbidden, the four-page memo said -- noting that their use would trigger positive drug tests.
The NYPD began random steroid testing in April 2008 after a scandal that tainted as many as 27 cops.
At least four more have been snared by those tests in 2009.
The NYPD noted that illegal steroid use fuels a market run by organized crime."
Story from the NYPost.com
In an effort to create a stricter steroid ban, the NYPD last week issued a stern warning to its members not to bulk up with supplements purchased online or over the counter.
A bulletin distributed at roll call identified 21 nutritional supplements that contained steroids but failed to list them on their labels.
All dietary supplements are also forbidden, the four-page memo said -- noting that their use would trigger positive drug tests.
The NYPD began random steroid testing in April 2008 after a scandal that tainted as many as 27 cops.
At least four more have been snared by those tests in 2009.
The NYPD noted that illegal steroid use fuels a market run by organized crime."
Story from the NYPost.com
Saturday, 26 December 2009
Conte Weighs In ( on the current use of PEDs in boxing )
"In my opinion, blood testing for the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight is more important for detecting possible blood doping or use of EPO than it is for human growth hormone. Measuring hematocrit levels (percentage of red blood cells to total whole blood volume) is very important. For example, even without a positive urine test for EPO, cyclists are temporarily suspended for two weeks if their hematocrit is greater than 50%. An elevated hematocrit can provide a significant advantage to a fighter by enhancing oxygen uptake and utilization. This would benefit a fighter in training and especially during the later rounds of a fight."
Read the full story on MaxBoxing.com
Read the full story on MaxBoxing.com
Ben Johnson claims his drink was spiked in autobiography "SEOUL TO SOUL"
Disgraced sprinter Ben Johnson claims he has obtained an explosive confession from a man who had access to the Olympic doping control room at the 1988 Seoul Games and who admits he spiked the 100m winner's drink with an anabolic steroid.
The alleged confession by Andre Jackson, who the Seoul 100m runner-up Carl Lewis has described as "a family friend", is contained in Johnson's autobiography due to be published in February.
While they admit he was using an East German designer steroid furazobol, they claim he had not used stanozolol for years because it made his muscles tight, which carried too great an injury risk.
Read the full story on PerthNow.com.au
Thursday, 24 December 2009
Three police officers resign over home brewing scandal.
The three police officers caught for alleged steroid use were reportedly manufacturing it in their homes, according to the official internal investigation report.
The report, provided for review by the Cedartown Police Department after it became public record, confirms what Polk County Police Chief Kenny Dodd and Cedartown Assistant Police Chief Jamie Newsome stated publicly about the incident involving two county officers and one city officer.
Two Polk County officers – John Garrett, 41, of Silver Creek, and Shawn Bates, 27, of Silver Creek – both resigned effective Sept. 21, in lieu of termination.
One of the city’s officers -- Scott Couch, 36, of Cedartown – also resigned in lieu of termination Oct. 5.
The investigation into off-duty activities of the officers began Sept. 2.
That’s when one of the officer’s wives began suspecting her husband was cheating on her. She called Dodd and told him that, adding that he was acting strangely and also that she had been in the house when the drugs were manufactured with the other officer. The woman felt the drugs were the source of most of their problems.
Police went to the home of one officer while he wasn’t there and obtained three vials of a yellow liquid substance called finaplix. Finaplex is a steroid used to speed up growth and bulk of feedlot heifers, the report said.
Dodd began interviewing Bates and Garrett. Bates said he ordered a kit off a website and used Garrett’s credit card to order it because he didn’t have money at the time.
He said he and Garrett made the steroid together. He said he used four of five shots and two shots of injected testosterone.
Bates said he stopped steroid use because “he knew it was wrong and was no better than the people he was arresting.” He also said he started only because he “got curious.”
Garrett had a different story. He has maintain that he has had no involvement in Bates’ activities and said he loaned Bates his credit card because Bates told him he needed to order medication for his dogs.
Garrett said the package came to his house in a plain white box, which he gave to Bates, according to the report.
The incident was then turned over to the Rome Police Department for an internal investigation.
Bates was found deceptive in a polygraph test, which is what led investigations to Couch. According to the report, Bates’ deception was that he withheld information about the third officer’s involvement.
Garrett could not take a polygraph test because he was on the prescription drug lexapro, which is an anti-depression medication.
Further investigation and a second polygraph revealed Bates had reportedly acquired the testosterone from Garrett, who had reportedly gotten it from Couch.
Garrett has maintained his original story of no involvement and told investigation officers he “had no idea why Shawn would say these things,” according to the report.
None of the officers will face criminal charges from local law enforcement agencies. Dodd said last fall the officers’ statements were made under Garrity Warnings and that precludes using their testimony in any kind of criminal indictment.
However, further action is likely by the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council. Dodd said the results of the two investigations have been forwarded to the POST Council. The Council may revoke the certification of these officers, place them on probation (suspended certification) or decide to take no further action against them.
Story from the CedarTownStd.com
The report, provided for review by the Cedartown Police Department after it became public record, confirms what Polk County Police Chief Kenny Dodd and Cedartown Assistant Police Chief Jamie Newsome stated publicly about the incident involving two county officers and one city officer.
Two Polk County officers – John Garrett, 41, of Silver Creek, and Shawn Bates, 27, of Silver Creek – both resigned effective Sept. 21, in lieu of termination.
One of the city’s officers -- Scott Couch, 36, of Cedartown – also resigned in lieu of termination Oct. 5.
The investigation into off-duty activities of the officers began Sept. 2.
That’s when one of the officer’s wives began suspecting her husband was cheating on her. She called Dodd and told him that, adding that he was acting strangely and also that she had been in the house when the drugs were manufactured with the other officer. The woman felt the drugs were the source of most of their problems.
Police went to the home of one officer while he wasn’t there and obtained three vials of a yellow liquid substance called finaplix. Finaplex is a steroid used to speed up growth and bulk of feedlot heifers, the report said.
Dodd began interviewing Bates and Garrett. Bates said he ordered a kit off a website and used Garrett’s credit card to order it because he didn’t have money at the time.
He said he and Garrett made the steroid together. He said he used four of five shots and two shots of injected testosterone.
Bates said he stopped steroid use because “he knew it was wrong and was no better than the people he was arresting.” He also said he started only because he “got curious.”
Garrett had a different story. He has maintain that he has had no involvement in Bates’ activities and said he loaned Bates his credit card because Bates told him he needed to order medication for his dogs.
Garrett said the package came to his house in a plain white box, which he gave to Bates, according to the report.
The incident was then turned over to the Rome Police Department for an internal investigation.
Bates was found deceptive in a polygraph test, which is what led investigations to Couch. According to the report, Bates’ deception was that he withheld information about the third officer’s involvement.
Garrett could not take a polygraph test because he was on the prescription drug lexapro, which is an anti-depression medication.
Further investigation and a second polygraph revealed Bates had reportedly acquired the testosterone from Garrett, who had reportedly gotten it from Couch.
Garrett has maintained his original story of no involvement and told investigation officers he “had no idea why Shawn would say these things,” according to the report.
None of the officers will face criminal charges from local law enforcement agencies. Dodd said last fall the officers’ statements were made under Garrity Warnings and that precludes using their testimony in any kind of criminal indictment.
However, further action is likely by the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council. Dodd said the results of the two investigations have been forwarded to the POST Council. The Council may revoke the certification of these officers, place them on probation (suspended certification) or decide to take no further action against them.
Story from the CedarTownStd.com
Aromatase inhibition increased testosterone, decreased estradiol but didn't prevent bone loss.
Researchers conducted a one-year, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial that assessed the effects of aromatase inhibition on bone mineral density in older men. Sixty-nine men aged 60 years or older with borderline or low testosterone levels and symptoms of hypogonadism were randomly assigned to 1-mg anastrozole (Arimidex, AstraZeneca) or placebo daily.
Anastrozole increased serum testosterone levels from 319 ng/dL at baseline to 524 ng/dL at three months and a declined slightly to 474 ng/dL at one year (P<.0001) — an overall increase of about 50%.
This paper presents evidence that it is estrogen, not androgen, that preserves bone mass in men as well as women. This estrogen-deficiency bone loss was previously reported in men who have an aromatase deficiency and are unable to convert androgen to estrogen. It would be interesting to see in aging men whether there is a naturally occurring decrease in conversion of androgen to estrogen which might correspond, at least partially, to the bone loss seen in the older man.
Read the full story on EndocrineToday.com
Anastrozole increased serum testosterone levels from 319 ng/dL at baseline to 524 ng/dL at three months and a declined slightly to 474 ng/dL at one year (P<.0001) — an overall increase of about 50%.
This paper presents evidence that it is estrogen, not androgen, that preserves bone mass in men as well as women. This estrogen-deficiency bone loss was previously reported in men who have an aromatase deficiency and are unable to convert androgen to estrogen. It would be interesting to see in aging men whether there is a naturally occurring decrease in conversion of androgen to estrogen which might correspond, at least partially, to the bone loss seen in the older man.
Read the full story on EndocrineToday.com
CBP's top six most recent unusual seizures at California border checkpoints.
The next day, officers at the San Ysidro border crossing referred a San Fernando man, 37, to a secondary inspection area. They found steroids taped to his thighs and hidden in his socks. In all, the man carried two different types of liquid injectable steroids, 100 tablets of another type, and 36 syringes. Steroids and syringes were seized and the man was assessed a $14,130 penalty for the illegal attempt.Story from TheExaminer.com
Wednesday, 23 December 2009
More info on Sweden's Operation Liquid ( Bottle ? ) from Spanish press.
During Operation bottle, the National Police worked with the Swedish police. Those arrested were part of an organization that was operating from Spain, where they provided illegal doping substances and materials to manufacture the products, which are then distributed via courier companies.
Detectives conducted several searches in both countries that, in addition to the doses of steroids, € 2,500,000 in cash was intercepted and 40 bank accounts in Sweden were frozen.
The Spanish police operation had the support and expertise from the Spanish Agency of Medicines and Health Products, Health inspectors also sport anti-doping authorities.
Police seized more than 2,500 doses of anabolic steroids, 6,400 doses of growth hormones, 300,000 diet pills, 600,000 ampoules and vials and 400 kilos of raw material for the manufacture of the steroids.
The Interior Ministry signed an agreement with the Secretary of State for Sport in order to strengthen the fight against such criminal methods.
Story from the BarcelonaReporter.com
Detectives conducted several searches in both countries that, in addition to the doses of steroids, € 2,500,000 in cash was intercepted and 40 bank accounts in Sweden were frozen.
The Spanish police operation had the support and expertise from the Spanish Agency of Medicines and Health Products, Health inspectors also sport anti-doping authorities.
Police seized more than 2,500 doses of anabolic steroids, 6,400 doses of growth hormones, 300,000 diet pills, 600,000 ampoules and vials and 400 kilos of raw material for the manufacture of the steroids.
The Interior Ministry signed an agreement with the Secretary of State for Sport in order to strengthen the fight against such criminal methods.
Story from the BarcelonaReporter.com
Two British men admit supplying deceased teenager Matthew Dear with steroids.
Two men have admitted supplying steroids to a teenage bodybuilder who later died.
Matthew Dear, 17, is believed to have died from swelling to the brain. He had taken black-market pills supplied to him by Garry Penny, 21, and Alexander Moss-Austin, 18.
Matthew’s grieving family looked on at Basildon Crown Court yesterday, on as the pair admitted charges of supplying him with anabolic steroid methandienone, a Class C drug.
Matthew, a part-time postman who was hoping to join the Royal Marines, lived with his family in Hamstel Road, Southend.
He was taken ill with blurred vision and agonising stomach pains in April, and died a week later at Southend Hospital.
However, speaking yesterday, Andrew Jackson, prosecuting, said: “There is conflicting medical evidence in this case. It is not clear if the drug supplied caused this death.”
Matthew’s death will not be taken into account in the sentencing of Penny and Moss-Austin, because of the inconclusive medical evidence.
Outside the court, Matthew’s dad Chris, 43, said: “It was a real bittersweet moment for us today. It is right these two should be held accountable for their drug dealing, but we have lost our son.”
His mum Tina, 41, said: “Matthew was a very fit and healthy young man, with a bright future ahead of him. But now that has been taken away.”
Moss-Austin, of Westcliff, admitted one count of supplying 50 tablets of methandienone to Matthew, and a further charge of supplying 50 tablets of the same drug to another man.
Penny, of Station Road, Westcliff, admitted one count of supplying methandienone to Matthew.
Both men were released on unconditional bail prior to their sentencing early next year.
Story from Echo-News.co.uk
Matthew Dear, 17, is believed to have died from swelling to the brain. He had taken black-market pills supplied to him by Garry Penny, 21, and Alexander Moss-Austin, 18.
Matthew’s grieving family looked on at Basildon Crown Court yesterday, on as the pair admitted charges of supplying him with anabolic steroid methandienone, a Class C drug.
Matthew, a part-time postman who was hoping to join the Royal Marines, lived with his family in Hamstel Road, Southend.
He was taken ill with blurred vision and agonising stomach pains in April, and died a week later at Southend Hospital.
However, speaking yesterday, Andrew Jackson, prosecuting, said: “There is conflicting medical evidence in this case. It is not clear if the drug supplied caused this death.”
Matthew’s death will not be taken into account in the sentencing of Penny and Moss-Austin, because of the inconclusive medical evidence.
Outside the court, Matthew’s dad Chris, 43, said: “It was a real bittersweet moment for us today. It is right these two should be held accountable for their drug dealing, but we have lost our son.”
His mum Tina, 41, said: “Matthew was a very fit and healthy young man, with a bright future ahead of him. But now that has been taken away.”
Moss-Austin, of Westcliff, admitted one count of supplying 50 tablets of methandienone to Matthew, and a further charge of supplying 50 tablets of the same drug to another man.
Penny, of Station Road, Westcliff, admitted one count of supplying methandienone to Matthew.
Both men were released on unconditional bail prior to their sentencing early next year.
Story from Echo-News.co.uk
Spanish suspects arrested following nationwide doping raids in Sweden.
It’s been revealed by the Interior Ministry that more than 40 arrests which took place across Sweden in a recent operation against doping crimes targeted a network which was supplied from Málaga province. Forty two arrests were made in Sweden and one in Fuengirola, and it’s understood that 5 million doses of anabolic steroids have been confiscated.
A number of property searches took place in both countries, and in Sweden, 40 bank accounts have been embargoed by the authorities. The Ministry said 2.5 million € in cash have also been seized.
The network used courier companies to distribute the illegal substances, mainly to Sweden, but also to customers elsewhere in Europe.
Story from TypicallySpanish.com
A number of property searches took place in both countries, and in Sweden, 40 bank accounts have been embargoed by the authorities. The Ministry said 2.5 million € in cash have also been seized.
The network used courier companies to distribute the illegal substances, mainly to Sweden, but also to customers elsewhere in Europe.
Story from TypicallySpanish.com
Former trooper Ryle charged in steroids case.
Prosecutors on Monday charged former state trooper Franklin “Joe” Ryle Jr. with possessing steroids between 2004 and 2009.
Ryle, 42, now faces two steroid charges in Natrona County. In an orange jumpsuit with his hands and ankles shackled, he made his initial appearance before Circuit Judge Michael Patchen on Tuesday.
Early this year, while investigating Ryle’s plot to kidnap a Wal-Mart truck driver, authorities interviewed another former state trooper, Devan Henderson, according to an affidavit from the case.
He told investigators that in 2004 he and Ryle brought steroids back from Mexico, where they had gone on vacation.
The investigation later led authorities to Ryle’s ex-wife. She confirmed Ryle brought steroids back from the vacation and said she had personally injected her ex-husband with steroids, according to the affidavit.
Investigators also say that in January they found two vials of Cypiogen, an anabolic steroid, in Ryle’s work desk, as well as one syringe and 11 needles.
In February, former trooper Adam Longo came forward and admitted that he had purchased steroids at a Casper gym, ultimately sharing the drugs with Ryle, according to the affidavit.
Story from the BillingsGazette.com
Ryle, 42, now faces two steroid charges in Natrona County. In an orange jumpsuit with his hands and ankles shackled, he made his initial appearance before Circuit Judge Michael Patchen on Tuesday.
Early this year, while investigating Ryle’s plot to kidnap a Wal-Mart truck driver, authorities interviewed another former state trooper, Devan Henderson, according to an affidavit from the case.
He told investigators that in 2004 he and Ryle brought steroids back from Mexico, where they had gone on vacation.
The investigation later led authorities to Ryle’s ex-wife. She confirmed Ryle brought steroids back from the vacation and said she had personally injected her ex-husband with steroids, according to the affidavit.
Investigators also say that in January they found two vials of Cypiogen, an anabolic steroid, in Ryle’s work desk, as well as one syringe and 11 needles.
In February, former trooper Adam Longo came forward and admitted that he had purchased steroids at a Casper gym, ultimately sharing the drugs with Ryle, according to the affidavit.
Story from the BillingsGazette.com
Tuesday, 22 December 2009
UK plans to introduce new pharmaceutical counterfeiting laws.
Operators of bogus online pharmacies could face up to 12 years in jail under a new law developed by the MHRA.
Specific criminal sentences for counterfeiting medicines are to be introduced in the UK. Convicted individuals would face a maximum penalty of 10-12 years' imprisonment, the agency has announced. Individuals could be found guilty of either supplying or offering to supply counterfeit medicines.
Current penalties are seen as limited in scope and to be failing to provide any deterrent. The MHRA proposed earlier this year to develop such an offence.
Story from HealthCareRepublic.com
Specific criminal sentences for counterfeiting medicines are to be introduced in the UK. Convicted individuals would face a maximum penalty of 10-12 years' imprisonment, the agency has announced. Individuals could be found guilty of either supplying or offering to supply counterfeit medicines.
Current penalties are seen as limited in scope and to be failing to provide any deterrent. The MHRA proposed earlier this year to develop such an offence.
Story from HealthCareRepublic.com
'Legal high' clubbing drugs and designer steroids / pro-hormones banned in UK.
A ban on several drugs known as "legal highs" has come into force.
The substances, including GBL and BZP, become Class C drugs, with a possible two-year jail sentence for possession.
Fifteen anabolic steroids, associated with drug abuse in sport, have also been classified as Class C.
Full story from the BBC.
The substances, including GBL and BZP, become Class C drugs, with a possible two-year jail sentence for possession.
Fifteen anabolic steroids, associated with drug abuse in sport, have also been classified as Class C.
Full story from the BBC.
Hoards of illicit items in Irish post seized each year.
The packages that attract most attention are those posted from China and the Middle East, where there is a booming black market in counterfeit products, including medicines.
It is 10 years since Viagra was launched, and it is still one of the most popular drugs to be counterfeited and sold over the internet. “Viagra and slimming products are very popular and have increased in popularity in the last five years. Diazepam and Valium are also seized on a constant basis,” adds Lonergan.
Story from the IrishTimes.com
It is 10 years since Viagra was launched, and it is still one of the most popular drugs to be counterfeited and sold over the internet. “Viagra and slimming products are very popular and have increased in popularity in the last five years. Diazepam and Valium are also seized on a constant basis,” adds Lonergan.
Story from the IrishTimes.com
Korea cracksdown on sales of fake ED drugs in adult stores.
Seoul cracked down on sex shops selling fake copies of impotence drugs such as Viagra or Cialis, Monday. The city's special judicial police collected samples of erectile dysfunction drugs from 103 sex shops and import traders and performed chemical experiments on them. The result showed that 100 percent of the samples were fakes.
Officials confiscated 3,604 impotence medicines, including 1,795 so-called Viagra pills and 1,809 alleged Cialis pills, from October to November and tested them - all were proven to be counterfeit. Some fake Viagra pills found during the crackdown contained twice more sildenafil, the principal ingredient of the drug, than the original, while others contained none. Among the counterfeit Cialis pills, most did not have enough of its main ingredient, tadalafil.
The shops caught are not allowed to sell drugs, but carried fake impotence pills from illegal importers. They bought the drugs for 800 to 7,700 won and sold them for 5,000 to 20,000 won.
Story from the KoreanTimes.co.kr
Officials confiscated 3,604 impotence medicines, including 1,795 so-called Viagra pills and 1,809 alleged Cialis pills, from October to November and tested them - all were proven to be counterfeit. Some fake Viagra pills found during the crackdown contained twice more sildenafil, the principal ingredient of the drug, than the original, while others contained none. Among the counterfeit Cialis pills, most did not have enough of its main ingredient, tadalafil.
The shops caught are not allowed to sell drugs, but carried fake impotence pills from illegal importers. They bought the drugs for 800 to 7,700 won and sold them for 5,000 to 20,000 won.
Story from the KoreanTimes.co.kr
Weird report on wrestler Jeff Hardy's case.
He did use steroids, as well, but they were anabolic steroids. These steroids are given for unbearable pain, and my source told me that Hardy rarely used them, but had them to use when the prescription painkillers weren't enough.
Story from the BleacherReport.com
Monday, 21 December 2009
Canadian police can do drug raids at Games villages.
Canada has all the legal power it needs to enforce anti-doping rules in athlete villages for next year's Winter Olympics, including authorising police raids, Vancouver Olympics official Dick Pound said on Monday.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has been working with organisers of the 2010 Games and Canadian law enforcement officials on a protocol on sharing information to combat use of banned performance enhancing drugs.
Canada does not have specific laws dealing with athletes' use of performance enhancing drugs, which has raised questions about police being able to conduct raids in athlete villages, such as those conducted by authorities at the 2006 Turin Games.
Read the full story on Yahoo.com
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has been working with organisers of the 2010 Games and Canadian law enforcement officials on a protocol on sharing information to combat use of banned performance enhancing drugs.
Canada does not have specific laws dealing with athletes' use of performance enhancing drugs, which has raised questions about police being able to conduct raids in athlete villages, such as those conducted by authorities at the 2006 Turin Games.
Read the full story on Yahoo.com
Death of Russian bodybuilder Vladimir ‘Dynamite’ Turchinsky blamed on steroids by Russian press.
According to one of the theories, the heart attack might have been caused by consumption of steroids for growing muscles. If medics prove the fact of anabolic consumption, it would most likely be stated as the cause of death, Novye Izvestia reports.
Nikolai Abramovsky, a cardiologist, told the newspaper that when anabolic steroids grow muscles, the heart does not catch up and cannot provide all muscles with blood. This can result in a heart attack. According to Yuri Vasilkov, a former doctor of the soccer team Russia, many sportsmen who consume anabolic steroids start experiencing various health problems at the age of 50.
Three weeks ago, Turchinsky visited a naval hospital complaining about chest pain. He was tested, but no abnormalities were revealed. The doctors say that plasmapheresis that Turchinsky underwent the day before his death could not cause the heart attack. Cardiologists are convinced that the procedure is harmless. Plasmapheresis helps to rid the body of toxins. The toxins could be caused by anabolic steroids.
Three years ago, in an interview, Turchinsky confessed that a sportsman who relied on his health alone coul only perform well enough to meet the sport standard. “All the rest is due to one or the other kind of stimulation, “the showman stated.
Professor Gennady Konovalov, head of the center of extracorporeal treatment Medsi where, according to some sources, Turchinsky could undergo plasmapheresis, refused to confirm that Turchinsky was treated in the clinic. However, Konovalov explained that if the procedure was to cause complications, he would have died an hour after the procedure and not the next morning.
As we wrote earlier, Turchinsky died in his countryside house in the village of Pashukovo in the Noginsk district of the Moscow region at 5.00 am December 16. The investigators said Turchinsky was unwell when he woke up. He fainted and collapsed onto the floor. His wife called an ambulance, but by the time paramedics arrived the bodybuilder was dead.
Story from Pravda.Ru
Nikolai Abramovsky, a cardiologist, told the newspaper that when anabolic steroids grow muscles, the heart does not catch up and cannot provide all muscles with blood. This can result in a heart attack. According to Yuri Vasilkov, a former doctor of the soccer team Russia, many sportsmen who consume anabolic steroids start experiencing various health problems at the age of 50.
Three weeks ago, Turchinsky visited a naval hospital complaining about chest pain. He was tested, but no abnormalities were revealed. The doctors say that plasmapheresis that Turchinsky underwent the day before his death could not cause the heart attack. Cardiologists are convinced that the procedure is harmless. Plasmapheresis helps to rid the body of toxins. The toxins could be caused by anabolic steroids.
Three years ago, in an interview, Turchinsky confessed that a sportsman who relied on his health alone coul only perform well enough to meet the sport standard. “All the rest is due to one or the other kind of stimulation, “the showman stated.
Professor Gennady Konovalov, head of the center of extracorporeal treatment Medsi where, according to some sources, Turchinsky could undergo plasmapheresis, refused to confirm that Turchinsky was treated in the clinic. However, Konovalov explained that if the procedure was to cause complications, he would have died an hour after the procedure and not the next morning.
As we wrote earlier, Turchinsky died in his countryside house in the village of Pashukovo in the Noginsk district of the Moscow region at 5.00 am December 16. The investigators said Turchinsky was unwell when he woke up. He fainted and collapsed onto the floor. His wife called an ambulance, but by the time paramedics arrived the bodybuilder was dead.
Story from Pravda.Ru
Pharmacist in long-running steroids case faces new charges.
A defendant in a long-running steroids case faces new charges that he improperly obtained prescription medication.
Jodi Carl Silvio is scheduled to go on trial in Mobile next month on charges that he participated in a scheme to provide steroids illegally from a compounding pharmacy in Mobile.
The new allegations, to which Silvio pleaded not guilty Wednesday, involve a pharmacy he owns in Bay Minette. According to the indictment, he transferred prescriptions in his ex-wife's name from Medicap Pharmacy to CVS and Winn-Dixie in Bay Minette, even though the medications had not been authorized by a doctor.
Silvio then tried to bill Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama for the medications, the indictment alleges.
Story from AL.com
Jodi Carl Silvio is scheduled to go on trial in Mobile next month on charges that he participated in a scheme to provide steroids illegally from a compounding pharmacy in Mobile.
The new allegations, to which Silvio pleaded not guilty Wednesday, involve a pharmacy he owns in Bay Minette. According to the indictment, he transferred prescriptions in his ex-wife's name from Medicap Pharmacy to CVS and Winn-Dixie in Bay Minette, even though the medications had not been authorized by a doctor.
Silvio then tried to bill Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama for the medications, the indictment alleges.
Story from AL.com
Sunday, 20 December 2009
H.G.H.’s Conundrum: Does Costly Treatment Enhance Performance?
"While human growth hormone has a remarkable ability to generate controversy, exactly what it does for athletes, both good and bad, is as much of a mystery today as when it first found favor as a performance booster during the 1990s.
“That’s uncharted territory,” said Richard J. Auchus, a professor of endocrinology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas. “We just don’t know what happens when people use high doses for long periods of time.”
H.G.H. is among the drugs prescribed by Anthony Galea, a Toronto-based sports medicine physician who was charged by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police last week with, among other things, conspiring to smuggle it into the United States. H.G.H. is legal in Canada but approved in the United States for only a few specific uses that do not include hastening recovery from injuries."
Read the full story from the NYTimes.com
“That’s uncharted territory,” said Richard J. Auchus, a professor of endocrinology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas. “We just don’t know what happens when people use high doses for long periods of time.”
H.G.H. is among the drugs prescribed by Anthony Galea, a Toronto-based sports medicine physician who was charged by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police last week with, among other things, conspiring to smuggle it into the United States. H.G.H. is legal in Canada but approved in the United States for only a few specific uses that do not include hastening recovery from injuries."
Read the full story from the NYTimes.com
Community order for British man who dealt steroids in pub.
A man whose friend asked him to get hold of some drugs has appeared in court for dealing in a west Cumbrian pub.
Sam McMahon, 27, from Holmrook, immediately handed the drugs over to police when they went to investigate reports of someone trying to sell them on September 18, Carlisle Crown Court heard.
He was arrested and searched and found to have more anabolic steroid tablets.
McMahon, who said the friend gave him £30 to get drugs, admitted possessing steroids and amphetamine with intent to supply.
Story from NewsandStar.co.uk
Sam McMahon, 27, from Holmrook, immediately handed the drugs over to police when they went to investigate reports of someone trying to sell them on September 18, Carlisle Crown Court heard.
He was arrested and searched and found to have more anabolic steroid tablets.
McMahon, who said the friend gave him £30 to get drugs, admitted possessing steroids and amphetamine with intent to supply.
Story from NewsandStar.co.uk
Food releases anti-hunger aromas during chewing.
A real possibility does exist for developing a new generation of foods that make people feel full by releasing anti-hunger aromas during chewing, scientists in the Netherlands are reporting after a review of research on that topic. Such foods would fight the global epidemic of obesity with aromas that quench hunger and prevent people from overeating. Their article appears in ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
Rianne Ruijschop and colleagues note that scientists long have tried to develop tasty foods that trigger or boost the feeling of fullness. Until recently, that research focused on food's effects in stomach after people swallow it. Efforts now have expanded to include foods that release hunger-quenching aromas during chewing. Molecules that make up a food's aroma apparently do so by activating areas of the brain that signal fullness.
Their analysis found that aroma release during chewing does contribute to the feeling of fullness and possibly to consumers' decisions to stop eating. The report cites several possible applications, including developing foods that release more aroma during chewing or developing aromas that have a more powerful effect in triggering feelings of fullness.
Story from ScienceDaily.com
Rianne Ruijschop and colleagues note that scientists long have tried to develop tasty foods that trigger or boost the feeling of fullness. Until recently, that research focused on food's effects in stomach after people swallow it. Efforts now have expanded to include foods that release hunger-quenching aromas during chewing. Molecules that make up a food's aroma apparently do so by activating areas of the brain that signal fullness.
Their analysis found that aroma release during chewing does contribute to the feeling of fullness and possibly to consumers' decisions to stop eating. The report cites several possible applications, including developing foods that release more aroma during chewing or developing aromas that have a more powerful effect in triggering feelings of fullness.
Story from ScienceDaily.com
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