Underground Labs Face Unprecedented Scrutiny by Law Enforcement in Multiple Countries
Underground steroid labs face unprecedented scrutiny by law enforcement in the aftermath of the DEA-led Operation Raw Deal. If you purchase anabolic steroids from an underground lab advertised on the Internet, it is probably only a matter of time before that UGL is busted. This means that your name and address may be added to an ever-growing database of individual steroid buyers collected by law enforcement.
Emerging details from the case of the Canadian UGL Illusion Labs reveal that underground labs are being targeted by multiple law enforcement agencies (in multiple countries) that have developed a detailed understanding of UGL operations. The 15-month investigation involving Illusion Labs proprietor Kevin Wayne Tanner involved the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), local Canadian Police and Royal Canadian Mounted Police. But court testimony revealed that Illusion Labs was also targeted by law enforcement in the United States including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigations and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency. An underground steroid lab targeted by no less than three independent federal agencies in two countries will inevitably be busted.
"I was familiar with Illusion Laboratories and had considered targeting the lab," Alex Davis testified in Bridgewater provincial court Tuesday at the sentencing hearing of Kevin Wayne Tanner. But when he learned that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency was already targeting Illusion, "I backed off and didn’t pursue it any further," he said.
Customers of underground labs may also be at risk. U.S. FDA special agent Alex Davis admitted that his agency had identified customers in 31 states in the U.S. who purchased steroids from Illusion Labs. CBSA lead investigator Blair MacDonald acknowledged that the Illusion Labs investigation worked with other agencies to identify customers in Canada and the United States.
“We’re still working with other police agencies and our partners trying to track down who they were going to and the extent of it.”
Investigators in the Illusion Labs case were able to obtain extremely detailed and specific information about Mr. Tanner’s steroid business over the course of 15-month. This incriminating information included detailed customs records identifying the number of steroid powder shipments imported from China, the aliases/addresses used for those shipments, the methods/manners of shipment, and itemized lists of Western Union payments to Chinese powder sources. Canadian authorities even utilized the services of a “forensic accountant” to provide a detailed financial record of the profits and revenues of Illusion Labs.
Laurie Shea is the Atlantic regional manager for Public Works and Government Services Canada. She testified at Mr. Tanner’s sentencing hearing in Bridgewater provincial court Wednesday that the RCMP asked her to create a financial profile of Mr. Tanner’s income and spending from Jan.1, 2004, until Jan.22, 2007.
To do that, she used his CIBC bank account, his Visa and investment accounts, income tax information, financial records found in his Elm Street home and the paper work for his mortgage and the car he bought.
While illegal activity is always ill-advised, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Operation Raw Deal announced on September 24, 2007 completely changed the landscape for operators and customers of UGLs. The legal risks to UGL proprietors AND their customers have significantly increased. In addition, the likelihood of being busted have similarly increased. Law enforcement has started to show considerable interest in investigating customers of UGLs as well.
Operation Raw Deal was the largest steroid law enforcement action in the history of the United States; it initially resulted in steroid busts involving 56 underground labs and spawned further steroid busts over subsequent years. The arrest of over 120 individuals, most of which made plea agreement with prosecutors, provided federal investigators with a detailed understanding of how UGLs operated. Over 2,000 individual customers were identified in Operation Raw Deal.
The effects of Operation Raw Deal were not restricted to the United States. U.S. authorities leading ORD elicited the assistance of nine other countries including Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, Germany, Sweden and Thailand. The far-reaching U.S. government law enforcement initiative had allies who would go after UGLs in their own respective countries. Australia worked closely with the United States during Operation Raw Deal and executed their respective large-scale UGL busts codenamed Operation Kasha. Canada also cooperated with the United States targeting Canadian UGLs with Operation Powder Keg.
The bilateral cooperation between Canada and the United States clearly continues to target steroid-producing underground labs.
Sources:
“U.S. drug agencies were closing in on steroid lab,” January 14, 2009
“Canada UGL Illusion Labs Goes to Trial in Major Steroid Distribution Case,” December 2, 2008
“International Law Enforcement Operation Targets Underground Manufacture of Anabolic Steroids,” September 24, 2007
By Millard Baker
Recent Comments