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Buying HGH From Mexico is Illegal
HGH from Mexico is available on the black market and "gray"
markets in the United States. Although some HGH from Mexico is questionably
pure, some brands of HGH from Mexico are often contaminated with
foreign proteins, lead and heavy metals which cause allergic reactions.
Consistency of strength is also a problem with many brands from
Mexico (some being fake or dilluted).
At the present time, I consider the direct purchase of any form
of HGH from Mexico to be very risky and Dangerous for individuals,
both legally and medically.
More
Illegal Operations in the USA and Online
International Law Enforcement Operation Targets
Underground Manufacture of Anabolic Steroids
‘Operation Raw Deal’ Nets 124 Arrests Nationwide To
Date
WASHINGTON – Authorities have arrested more than 124 individuals
in the United States on federal charges as the result of an international
investigation targeting the illegal manufacturing and trafficking
of anabolic steroids and its raw materials, mainly from China, along
with the human growth hormone (HGH) and the insulin growth factor
(IGF) markets, the Department of Justice announced today.
These law enforcement operations were the result of Operation Raw
Deal, the largest steroid enforcement action in U.S. history. The
nearly two-year-old operation, which culminated in a series of law
enforcement actions last week, was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration
(DEA), working with federal law enforcement officials from the Food
and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Office of Criminal Investigations,
the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and others. The Internal Revenue
Service (IRS), U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE),
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the National Drug Intelligence
Center (NDIC) also played key roles in Operation Raw Deal. The multi-jurisdictional
Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation was
coordinated by prosecutors from the Criminal Division’s Narcotic
and Dangerous Drug Section assigned to the Special Operations Division.
The U.S. operation took place in conjunction with enforcement operations
in Mexico, Canada, China, Belgium, Australia, Germany, Denmark,
Sweden, and Thailand.
Since Operation Raw Deal began in December 2005, 143 federal search
warrants were executed on targets nationwide, resulting in 124 arrests
and the seizure of 56 steroid labs across the United States. In
total, 11.4 million steroid dosage units were seized, as well as
242 kilograms of raw steroid powder of Chinese origin. As part of
Operation Raw Deal, $6.5 million was also seized, as well as 25
vehicles, three boats, 27 pill presses, and 71 weapons. Enforcement
activity took place in 27 states. Approximately 50 people were arrested
and 61 federal search warrants were executed on targets nationwide
during the operation’s final takedown, which began on Sept.
14, 2007.
Criminal charges were filed this month in several federal districts
as part of Operation Raw Deal, including the U.S. Attorneys’
Offices in the Southern District of California, the Southern District
of New York, the Middle District of Pennsylvania, the District of
Rhode Island, the District of Connecticut, the District of Maryland
and the Western District of Missouri. The indictments include various
narcotics distribution offenses, such as conspiracy to import anabolic
steroids, and other charges including conspiracy to launder money.
“DEA successfully attacked the illegal steroid industry at
every level of its distribution network—from the manufacturers
in China who supply the raw materials, to the traffickers in the
United States who market the deadly doses. Operation Raw Deal uncovered
a clandestine web of international drug dealers who lurk on the
Internet for young adults craving the artificial advantage of anabolic
steroids,” said DEA Administrator Karen P. Tandy. “Today
we reveal the truth behind the underground steroid market: dangerous
drugs cooked up all too often in filthy conditions with no regard
to safety, giving Americans who purchase them the ultimate raw deal.”
“The FDA Office of Criminal Investigations takes this illegal
conduct very seriously and fully supports the investigation and
ultimate prosecution of these profiteers who endanger the public
by formulating and selling unapproved illegal drugs, even when those
who would be endangered are willing participants. These buyers are
solely motivated by a desire to gain an unfair competitive advantage
by using illegal performance-enhancing substances and the sellers
are not concerned with the buyers' health but with making money,"
said Terry Vermillion, Director of the FDA Office of Criminal Investigations.
“This operation led to the dismantling of approximately 100
illegal sites that aided in the manufacturing and distribution of
anabolic steroids, prescription medicines, counterfeit drugs and
chemical precursors originating from approximately 30 rogue laboratories
in China,” said Assistant Director Kenneth W. Kaiser, FBI
Criminal Investigative Division. “The FBI is committed to
working with its law enforcement partners worldwide to eliminate
internet steroid distributors who claim to be legitimate pharmaceutical
companies.”
“Whenever someone uses the U.S. Mail to send anything that
they know is dangerous, illegal or counterfeit, postal inspectors
are prepared to find them and arrest them in order to preserve the
integrity of the mail,” said Chief Postal Inspector Alexander
Lazaroff of the United States Postal Inspection Service. “I
am proud to partner in this operation to stop the suppliers of anabolic
steroids and the customers who purchase them, so that the mail will
not be an ingredient in this deadly recipe.”
“IRS Criminal Investigation is proud to be a part of this
international, multi-agency investigation,” stated Eileen
Mayer, Chief, IRS Criminal Investigation. “In this investigation,
the IRS criminal investigators analyzed monetary transactions to
track the illegal proceeds of this organization, and the money trail
led to those individuals indicted today. When law enforcement agencies
combine resources and expertise, we create a formidable force.”
“Raw Deal involved individuals providing raw ingredients
and internet instructions on how to make complex, illicit and potentially
dangerous pharmaceuticals,” said Julie L. Myers, Homeland
Security Assistant Secretary for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“This enforcement action was accomplished through the cooperation
of multiple agencies committed to the single goal of identifying
and dismantling a vast illicit enterprise that spanned across the
globe and throughout cyberspace.”
Operation Raw Deal is a four-prong strategy focusing on raw material
manufacturers/suppliers in the China and other countries; underground
anabolic laboratories in the United States, Canada and Mexico; numerous
U.S.-based websites distributing materials, or conversion kits,
necessary to convert raw steroid powders into finished product;
and Internet bodybuilding discussion boards that are the catalysts
for individuals to learn how to illicitly use, locate and discreetly
purchase performance enhance drugs, including anabolic steroids.
Many of the underground steroids labs targeted in this case advertise
and are endorsed on these message boards.
According to the charges filed in connection with Operation Raw
Deal, worldwide manufacturers of the raw materials needed for steroids
use Web sites to market their products and even provide guidance
to potential customers. Steroid Internet message boards and chat
rooms also use the latest technology in an effort to keep their
business transactions – and those of their customers –
anonymous. These Web sites, chat rooms, and message boards also
provide information about how to convert the raw material into finished
steroid product and boast of their ability to resist law enforcement
scrutiny. In addition, these sites promote and often sell “conversion
kits” that allow customers to convert raw materials into steroids
themselves from home. Besides steroids, many Web sites targeted
also offered other dangerous drugs and chemicals such as ketamine,
fentanyl, ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, and GHB.
Southern District of California
A federal grand jury sitting in San Diego handed up seven indictments
charging 14 individuals with conspiracy to import anabolic steroids,
conspiracy to distribute anabolic steroids, and conspiracy to launder
money. The indictments also seek criminal forfeiture. The indictments
allege that the defendants purchased raw anabolic steroid powers
from suppliers in foreign countries, including China, in order to
manufacture steroid products in their underground laboratories and
distribute the anabolic steroids through the Internet. Defendants
include: Goran Crnila, Joshua Travis Phillips, Ray Arthur Ross,
Natasha Bensulong, Adam C. Hullander, Israel Sanchez, Felix Parache,
Charles Joseph Lupico, Timothy Edward Smith, Jeffrey Lee Mitchell,
Thomas Robert Souders, Michael Guthrie, John Russo, and Otis Neal
Armour.
Southern District of New York
Indictments returned on May 17, 2007, and Sept. 20, 2007, by a
federal grand jury in the Southern District of New York charge a
total of five individuals with conspiracy to distribute a controlled
substance. Three of the defendants are also charged with conspiracy
to engage in money laundering. The indictments allege that the defendants
owned and ran underground steroid labs operating in the New York
area called “Bodiez by Design,” and “Strong Island
Underground,” a/k/a “SIUG Labs.” The indictments
also allege that the defendants advertised steroids for sale on
the Internet and shipped them to customers across the country by
mail, directing customers to pay for the steroids in such a way
as to mask the parties’ identities and the nature of the transactions.
Searches of the Strong Island Underground lab location and the defendants’
residences resulted in the seizure of over 1.1 million dosage units
of steroids and ancillary drugs in liquid and pill form, as well
as steroid-related drug paraphernalia.
Four complaints, signed on Sept. 20 and 21, 2007, by a federal
magistrate judge in the Southern District of New York, together
charge an additional four individuals. Two are charged with conspiracy
to distribute a controlled substance; one is alleged to have sold
raw testosterone powder over the Internet, and another allegedly
purchased steroids from China for domestic re-distribution. A third
defendant is charged with maintaining a drug-involved premise, for
allegedly providing access to a rental storage unit to a steroid
underground lab to be used as a stash house for the lab’s
operations. A fourth individual is charged with three counts: selling
drug paraphernalia, using the mails to distribute drug paraphernalia,
and providing equipment for the manufacture of controlled substances.
The complaint alleges that the defendant owned and operated a company
called “Titan Med Supply” which supplied the illegal
steroid community with the necessary materials to convert raw steroid
powders and other precursor materials into injectable liquid steroid
solutions.
Middle District of Pennsylvania
On Sept. 18, 2007, a federal grand jury in the Middle District
of Pennsylvania returned a one-count indictment charging three individuals
with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute
anabolic steroids. The indictment alleges that these defendants
and others conspired together to illegally distribute steroids for
a two-year period extending from June 2005 through September 2007.
The defendants were arrested following the return of the indictment
and are currently awaiting trial. Each defendant faces up to five
years in prison and fines totaling $250,000 if convicted on the
conspiracy charge.
In a number of related matters, on Sept. 24, 2007, the U.S. Attorney
for the Middle District of Pennsylvania filed felony informations
charging five other individuals with drug-related crimes. Three
persons were charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with
intent to distribute ketamine, a Schedule III controlled substance.
One individual was charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess
with intent to distribute anabolic steroids. Each defendant faces
up to five years in prison and fines totaling $250,000 if convicted
on the conspiracy charges. Another person was charged with conspiracy
to distribute cocaine. This defendant faces up to 20 years in prison
and fines totaling $1 million if convicted.
District of Rhode Island
A federal grand jury in Rhode Island has charged Genescience Pharmaceutical
Company, which is based in China, the company’s CEO, Lei Jin,
and three other men with participating in an international trafficking
conspiracy in which millions of dollars worth of human growth hormone
(HGH) was smuggled into the United States and other countries. The
smugglers allegedly used Web sites and clandestine e-mail addresses
to facilitate the smuggling. The U.S. government has also seized
money traced to the smuggling operation – about $3.6 million
– from Chinese bank branches in New York
District of Maryland
On May 9, 2007, a federal grand jury in Baltimore indicted Bradley
C. Blum, 36, of Houston Texas, for conspiring to illegally distribute
and illegally distributing human growth hormone (HGH), which he
allegedly obtained from a manufacturer in China, and then unlawfully
sold to customers in Lexington Park, Md., and elsewhere in the United
States. The indictment also seeks $863,534 in property and proceeds
involved in and traceable to this illegal distribution scheme. In
a related case, Anthony E. Schuler, of Allentown, Pa. was arrested
on Sept. 20, 2007 and charged by criminal complaint with conspiracy
to distribute and attempted distribution of human growth hormone,
also allegedly obtained from a manufacturer in China.
Western District of Missouri
Four individuals have been charged in the Western District of Missouri
for their involvement in the distribution of anabolic steroids.
An indictment returned Sept. 21, 2007 charges Bryan Wilson and April
Wilson with conspiring to distribute and distributing anabolic steroids.
The indictment alleges that Bryan and April Wilson conspired with
individuals located in China to distribute anabolic steroids to
customers located around the United States. In exchange for wire
money transfers to sources located in Qingdao, China, Bryan and
April Wilson would receive raw steroid powder. At locations in Boone
and Jackson Counties, Missouri, Bryan Wilson allegedly converted
the raw steroid powder to pill and liquid anabolic steroid form.
Operating under the names Pro Pharm, Pro Pharm Labs, and Palmco,
Bryan and April Wilson allegedly distributed the final anabolic
steroid products to customers throughout the United States.
Two other defendants were charged by way of federal complaint in
the Western District of Missouri as part of Operation Raw Deal.
Mikal Schrage and Jason Varner were charged in separate criminal
complaints with possessing with the intent to distribute anabolic
steroids. The affidavit in support of Mikal Schrage’s criminal
complaint alleges that Schrage allegedly transported approximately
five pounds of powder anabolic steroids and 10,000 milliliters of
liquid anabolic steroids from Florida to his residence in Nixa,
Mo., when Schrage was stopped and arrested by law enforcement on
Sept. 1, 2007. The affidavit in support of Jason Varner’s
criminal complaint alleges that Varner sought to purchase 188 vials
of anabolic steroids outside of Columbia, Mo., on Sept.19, 2007.
After Varner’s arrest, law enforcement officers recovered
an additional 44 vials of anabolic steroids from Varner’s
residence.
District of Connecticut
In a related action, in April 2006, the FBI’s Healthcare
Fraud Unit in the District of Connecticut initiated “Operation
Phony Pharm,” an undercover investigation targeting the illegal
sale of anabolic steroids, HGH and prescription pain medication
over the Internet. Although they began independently of each other,
Operation Phony Pharm and Operation Raw Deal have provided mutual
assistance as these investigations evolved.
In an indictment unsealed in Hartford, Conn., Edwin F. Porter,
41, of Chandler, Ariz.; Matthew J. Peltz, 36, of Chandler, Ariz.;
Tyler J. Lunn, 27, of Phoenix, Ariz.; and Walter T. Corey, 37, of
Cherleroi, Pa., are charged with conspiring to distribute and distribution
of anabolic steroids. The indictment alleges the defendants purchased
raw steroid powder from China, manufactured anabolic steroids in
home laboratories in both oral and injectable form, and distributed
them to customers around the country through a MySpace.com profile
and an internet website they created, www.anabolic-superstore.com.
Also, as a result of this ongoing investigation, on Sept. 21, 2007,
Brian S. Tompkins, 29, of Deltona, Fla., pleaded guilty in Hartford
to one count of distribution of anabolic steroids. Tompkins admitted
that from September 2006 to July 2007, he distributed anabolic steroids
by mail to individuals who contacted him through his MySpace.com
profile. Tompkins further admitted that, in July 2007, he purchased
two kilograms of steroid powder from a supplier in China.
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http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2007/September/07_crm_753.html
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