Steroids Blog on Steroids RX.com

Officials Have Been Slow to Release Details About Actual Scope
of Steroid Distribution

The major Fort Bend County drug investigation codenamed Operation “Farmacia de Juicy Phruit” was characterized as primarily an anabolic steroid bust that revolved around personal trainers who sold steroids to their clients and bodybuilders. Law enforcement officials from various local and federal agencies repeatedly emphasized the central importance of anabolic steroids during the May 27, 2009 press conference announcing the arrest of 73 defendants who were presumably bodybuilders and personal trainers; 51 defendants indicted by a Fort Bend County grand jury and 22 defendants indicted by a federal grand jury.

“The majority of this thing is built around body trainers at fitness centers,” said Fort Bend County Sheriff Milton Wright. “Their livelihood is getting customers they can develop physically - legally or illegally. It doesn’t matter in their eyes, as long as they get the job done.”

The significance of the recreational “party” drugs such as Oxycontin and Xanax uncovered during the investigation was minimized. They were described as drugs incidental to steroid use by bodybuilders. “There’s been other offshoots from it because sometimes the steroids cause severe muscle pain and that leads to painkillers,” according to Sheriff Wright.

The steroid bust allegedly involved “hundreds of thousands of dosage units of anabolic steroids, human growth hormones, MDMA (ecstasy) and controlled pharmaceutical substances”; however, officials refused to offer a breakdown of the relative quantity of each class of drug involved in the investigation. The amount of steroids involved versus amounts of other drugs were not reported.

Acting U.S. Attorney Tim Johnson reported that the investigation originated with Charles “Brock” Falkenhagen in late 2006. Johnson also stated that Falkenhagen was named on each of the 22 federal indictments. The unsealed version of the 46-count Falkenhagen indictment had the 22 names of his co-defendants redacted.

The Falkenhagen indictment provides some insight into the nature of the charges facing the defendants in the Fort Bend County bust. A review of the indictment revealed that ONLY ONE count out of the 46-counts involved anabolic steroids.

There were 4 counts involving Oxycontin, 4 counts involving MDMA (escstasy), 9 counts involving smuggling human growth hormone (HGH); 28 counts involving money laundering related to HGH. The money trail also suggests that HGH may have accounted for most of the proceeds. The single steroid-related charge involved the “conspiracy to manufacture/possess with the intent to distribute (anabolic steroids)”.

The Falkenhagen indictment suggests that the importance of anabolic steroids in this bust may have been considerably overstated, at least in the federal cases. The quantity of steroids involved may well have been less than the press was led to believe during the announcement of the operation.

Officials acknowledged that no professional athletes were involved or implicated in the so-called steroid bust. The defendants in the case were not accused of selling steroids (or any other drug) to any minors.

In the absence of steroids sales to pro athletes or high school students, officials instead trumpeted the imaginary risks of steroids.

DEA Special Agent Zoran Yankovich warned journalists about the unreported dangers of anabolic steroids. Yankovich imagined that steroids lead to “broken families, broken homes and people who are hurt [by steroids] that we never know about.”

Fort Bend County Sheriff Lt. Glen Dening asserted that, even in the absence of any evidence of steroid sales involving high school students during the current investigation, the steroid dealers arrested would have probably sold steroids to minors - eventually.

“They (suspects) work out at all the local gyms in Fort Bend County, so, of course, the high school students have access to those gyms. So, inevitably, it’s going to happen. They’d end up customers of these steroid dealers,” Lt. Dening predicted.

At least one journalist was baffled during the press conference as to why most of the defendants who were arrested were relatively “skinny” and did not appear to lift weights much less use steroids. FDA Agent Tommy Hennesy suggested that underdosed or bogus steroid products from underground lab as an explanation. This of course begs the question: How many of the defendants were in fact personal trainers and/or recreational bodybuilders? Were most of the defendants really involved in bodybuilding and fitness?

It remains to be seen how big a factor steroids were in the so-called major steroid bust in Texas. The nature of the arrest warrants handed down by the Fort Bend County District Attorney may be completely different than the indictments issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Texas.

Sources

“Fort Bend holds suspects in alleged steroid ring,” May 29, 2009

“Bodybuilders, Personal Trainers and Gym Owner Arrested in Texas Steroid Bust,” May 27, 2009

By Millard Baker

http://www.millardbaker.com

www.SteroidsRx.com

Richard Thomas Uses Arrest As An Opportunity to Capture National Spotlight

Richard “Andy” Thomas was extremely cooperative and friendly with undercover narcotics detectives as he was arrested along with his wife on various charges related to the distribution of anabolic steroids. Agents with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) and Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raided the Lakeland Florida home of Richard and Sandra Thomas and recovered approximately $200,000 worth of anabolic steroids and ancillary drugs. Afterwards, Thomas bragged about the scope of his steroid distribution stating that he was currently the largest steroid dealer in Central Florida and, at one time during the past decade, the entire State of Florida. Such boastful and incriminating statements are highly unusual among steroid dealers when they are arrested. Most dealers are not as forthcoming with information about their illegal activities.

Richard Thomas, perhaps seeing his arrest as an opportunity to capture the national spotlight, continued talking to detectives about his illegal steroid business, specifically about customers who played professional baseball, hockey and football. The naming of pro athletes using steroids is a surefire method of gaining the full attention of law enforcement, prosecutors and sportswriters. Consequently, Thomas’s claim that he sold steroids to members of the Washington Capitals hockey team and Washington Nationals baseball team had its desired effect.

"He claimed to have sold drugs to professional sports people," Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd told A.J. Perez of USA Today during a phone interview. "He said, 'You pick the sport and I sold it to them.' We pressed him further and he said he sold steroids to the Washington Capitals and the Nationals."

Thomas started using anabolic steroids to become a celebrity like his hero Arnold Schwarzenegger. This plan may not have materialized as anticipated but Thomas seems willing to use the media and criminal justice system to gain a certain measure of fame (or infamy) as a dealer for pro athletes. The self-aggrandizing Polk County Sheriff Judd seemed happy to oblige by holding a national press conference to share the admittedly unsubstantiated allegations.

Thomas stopped talking to detectives shortly after a public defender was appointed to represent him. However, the silence was short-lived. Thomas agreed to a jailhouse interview with the New York Daily News during which he promised to share details of a “huge story” once he was released from jail. Thomas is being held in Polk County Jail on a $425,000 bond.

There is widespread skepticism from all sides regarding the veracity of Thomas’ claims. The Washington Capitals and Washington Nationals have predictably denied the allegation citing their perfect record of steroid testing.

“We have no reason to believe there is any merit to this story, but the National Hockey League and the Washington Capitals take all such allegations seriously,” responded the Capitals in an official statement. “Capitals players have fully participated in the NHL’s random drug testing program, and at no point has a Capitals player tested positive.”

“I don't have any particular concerns, because as you've seen in recent times, baseball has the most stringent testing for performance-enhancing drugs,” Nationals team president Stan Kasten said in response to the allegations. “Players run afoul of rules, they're caught, and they're disciplined."

Sheriff Judd admits that the Polk County Sheriff’s Office has no information to corroborate the claims made by Thomas. Thomas’ computer and hard drive were seized by investigators during the raid but their contents have not been analyzed. It is likely that the names of several customers could be uncovered during forensic analysis of the hard drive. It is unknown whether the names of professional athletes will be discovered. Nonetheless, Judd wants to believe Thomas.

“At this point in time, we have no corroboration about what he said about professional athletes, but he has two things that give him credibility,” Judd rationalized. “Number one, he had every imaginable steroid you can get in his house. Number two, why pick two teams that are obscure in our area? Why not say the Orlando Magic, Tampa Bay Rays or the Florida Panthers, or the New York Yankees or the Detroit Tigers, who have spring training facilities in our area?”

Richard Thomas and Sandra Thomas have both been charged with ten counts of “possession of anabolic steroids with intent to sell or distribute”; ten counts of “importation of anabolic steroids into the State of Florida”; one count of “maintaining a dwelling for drug sales”; and one count of “possession of a firearm in commission of a felony.” Sandra Thomas has been released after posting a $215,000 bond; Richard Thomas remains in Polk County.

Sources

“MLB, NHL investigating steroids claims,” May 28, 2009

“Steroid suspect Richard Thomas juiced to 'be like' Arnold Schwarzenegger,” May 28, 2009

“Kasten: 'I Don't Have Any Particular Concerns',” May 27, 2009

“D.C. teams looking into statements made in Polk steroids case,” May 27, 2009

By Millard Baker

http://www.millardbaker.com

www.SteroidsRx.com

Abstinence Approach Preferred Over Honest Approach for Sex and Steroids

Former Boston Red Sox player Lou Merloni recently described a meeting during Red Sox spring training when a physician advised baseball players how to properly use anabolic steroids while minimizing the side effects. The doctor made a distinction between steroid use and abuse with a harm reduction approach to steroid education. Merloni emphasized that the physician was not advocating or endorsing steroid use but simply explaining how to minimize harm from the performance-enhancing drugs. The former Red Sox infielder compared the steroid education lecture to high school sex education.

"It was like teaching your teenage daughter about sex education," Lou Merloni told the Boston Globe. "The organization acknowledged that there were likely players using steroids, and basically, 'If you're going to use them, this is how you use them so you don't abuse them.'"

The alleged meeting occurred when Lou Merloni was still an active player with the Red Sox. Merloni and his teammates were expecting the usual lecture demonizing anabolic steroids where the doctor would overstate and exaggerate the adverse side effects of steroids.

“I'm sitting in the meeting. There's a doctor up there and he's talking about steroids, and everyone was like, 'Here we go, we're going to sit here and get the whole thing: They're bad for you,'” according to Merloni. But the MLB players were shocked when the doctor proceeded with an open and honest discussion of steroids emphasizing harm reduction.

"If you're going to take steroids, one cycle won't hurt you; abusing steroids it will.' He sat there for one hour and told us how to properly use steroids while I'm with the Boston Red Sox, sitting there with the rest of the organization, and after this I said, 'What the heck was that?' And everybody on the team was like, 'What was that?' And the response we got was, 'Well, we know guys are taking it, so we want to make sure they're taking it the right way.'"

Merloni believed that the doctor was hired by the Red Sox organization and not the MLB Players’ Association (MLBPA). Former Red Sox general manager Dan Duquette strongly denied the allegation.

“It’s ridiculous. It’s totally unfounded,” said Duquette. “Who was the doctor? Tell me who the doctor is? If there was such a doctor he wasn’t in the employ of the Red Sox. We brought in doctors to educate the players on the major league drug policy at the time at the recommendation of major league baseball. This is so ridiculous I hate to even respond to it.”

Former MLB pitcher John Rocker claimed the MLBPA once hired a doctor who told him, Alex Rodriguez, Ivan Rodriguez, and Rafael Palmeiro how to safely use steroids. "If you do it responsibly, it's not going to hurt you," the doctor allegedly told them.

Such discussion of “responsible” steroid use completely contradicts the message promoted by the media. The steroid hysteria has made it impossible for most people to acknowledge that steroids can ever be used safely or with minimal side effects. Even among those that agree that steroid dangers are overstated, anything other than a steroid abstinence approach only proves that the MLBPA and/or MLB owners and organizations encouraged or were complicit in the rise of baseball’s steroid era.

Nonetheless, Lou Merloni’s analogy between steroid education and sex education is an interesting one. Hopefully, it stimulates discussion about the best way to approach baseball’s “steroid problem”. A harm reduction approach remains extremely controversial with little popular support. Most people would prefer that professional athletes “abstain” from anabolic steroids much like they would prefer that teenagers “abstain” from sexual intercourse. The abstinence approach tends to be morally-based often accompanied with scare tactics to discourage involvement. This approach is clearly a “feel good” approach but preaching abstinence and using scare tactics have not been particularly effective methods from decreasing either teenager sexual activity or performance enhancing drug use amongst professional athletes. Perhaps a scientifically-based harm reduction approach is the most realistic and pragmatic approach to such problems especially if the health of the individuals affected is the overriding concern.

References

“Merloni tells of PED advice from doctor,” May 11, 2009

“Let's end the silent treatment,” May 11, 2009

“John Rocker: Union doctor told A-Rod, me how to use steroids,” February 12, 2008

By Millard Baker

http://www.millardbaker.com

www.SteroidsRx.com

MLB Suspends Manny Ramirez 50 Games for HCG

Los Angeles Dodgers Manny Ramirez tested positive for testosterone and human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) according to ESPN's Mark Fainaru-Wada and T.J. Quinn. Ramirez’ testosterone:epitestosterone ratio exceeded the 4:1 permitted by Major League Baseball (MLB). An elevated T:E ratio is indicative of exogenous testosterone use but not conclusive proof of illegal steroid use. Ramirez received an HCG positive when urinary levels exceeded the established threshold for doping.

MLB decided to suspend Ramirez for 50 games ONLY for the positive HCG test. The MLB acknowledged that Ramirez may have been able to prove that the testosterone positive was not caused by the ingestion of a banned or prohibited substance. Manny Ramirez, while admitting the use of HCG, was prepared to fight any allegation that he used banned anabolic steroids. HCG is NOT and anabolic steroid.

Manny Ramirez purportedly was prescribed HCG as a treatment for sexual dysfunction. In a statement, Ramirez claims that the HCG was given to him by a doctor for a “personal health issue.”

Recently I saw a physician for a personal health issue. He gave me a medication, not a steroid, which he thought was OK to give me. Unfortunately, the medication was banned under our drug policy. Under the policy that mistake is now my responsibility. I have been advised not to say anything more for now. I do want to say one other thing; I've taken and passed about 15 drug tests over the past five seasons. I want to apologize to Mr. McCourt, Mrs. McCourt, Mr. Torre, my teammates, the Dodger organization, and to the Dodger fans. LA is a special place to me and I know everybody is disappointed. So am I. I'm sorry about this whole situation.

Ramirez’ explanation for the positive doping result was met with skepticism. “Testosterone and similar drugs are effective for erectile dysfunction in that they jazz up your sex drive,” according to Dr. Charles Yesalis, a doping expert at Penn State. “But far more clinicians accept that affect with Viagra and Cialis. It’s hard for me to understand if it was erectile dysfunction why they would use it.”

The fact that HCG is commonly used by anabolic steroid users both during and after a steroid cycle did not help the credibility of Ramirez’ explanation. Disgraced former MLB baseball player and whistleblower Jose Canseco was recently caught attempted to smuggle HCG across the border from Mexico last fall. Steroid users use HCG to self-treat anabolic steroid induced hypogonadism that occurs after steroid cessation. The use of anabolic steroids suppresses an individual’s natural production of testosterone.

HCG is utilized by steroid-using athletes in a variety of ways. Traditionally, it has been used after a steroid cycle to help restore testicular size and function as part of an overall post cycle therapy protocol (PCT). But given that HCG continues to suppress the pituitary messenger that signals the body to make its own testosterone, HCG is not effective as a standalone PCT protocol. It is usually accompanied by a regimen of drugs such as Clomid (clomiphene citrate) and/or Nolvadex (tamoxifen citrate) in order to restore peptide hormones luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) that naturally signal the body to produce testosterone.

HCG can also be used during a steroid cycle to prevent testicular atrophy. HCG use in this manner is based on the idea that preventing testicular atrophy during a steroid cycle will make it easier to restore natural testosterone production after the cessation of anabolic steroids. In both cases, HCG is used for harm reduction and health restoration purposes by steroid-using athlete.

Manny Ramirez is a huge fan favorite in Los Angeles. There is even a section in Dodger Stadium called "Mannywood". So, the loss of Ramirez to a 50 game suspension is a huge blow to fans. However, judging by early indicators, the Dodger fans seem to be very forgiving. "We're coming regardless," said one fan proudly wearing his Mannywood t-shirt. "We still love him. Everybody makes mistakes. He's not the first and he won't be the last."

Sources

“Manny Ramirez's 'I'm back' is now 'I'm gone',” May 8, 2009

“HCG helps steroid users restore testosterone,” May 8, 2009

“Sources: Ramirez used fertility drug,” May 7, 2009

“Source: Manny Ramirez Suspension Linked to Sexual Enhancer,” May 7, 2009

“Anabolic Steroid Induced Hypogonadism (ASIH),” by Michael Scally, MD

“Inhibition and Recovery of Natural Testosterone Production,” by Bill Roberts

By Millard Baker

http://www.millardbaker.com

www.SteroidsRx.com

30 Month Steroid Cycle of Testosterone Safe and Effective Birth Control

NBC chief medical editor Dr. Nancy Snyderman raved about the potential of a new male contraceptive to anchor Ann Curry on the NBC Today Show on May 6, 2009. It is purportedly better than condoms but not quite as effective as the female pill. “This one measures up pretty well,” reported Dr. Snyderman. “The fact that you can have an injection, that it works while you take, but when you stop it you get sperm counts back. That’s very interesting in the study.”

Snyderman was not alone in her enthusiasm. Other experts believed the new discovery could revolutionize male birth control. Snyderman and her colleagues were referring to a new study to be published in the June 2009 issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism that involved a monthly injection to suppress sperm production. Of course, to the many individuals who are familiar with the effects of anabolic steroids, the new contraception sounded a lot like steroids. Not surprisingly, the new study utilized the long-acting anabolic steroid testosterone undecanoate in a thirty month cycle. The study showed the male contraceptive to be safe, effective and reversible. “Within the next five years, you’re going to see it [on the market],” predicted Dr. Snyderman. “It looks pretty safe.”

The study entitled “Multicenter Contraceptive Efficacy Trial of Injectable Testosterone Undecanoate in Chinese Men” was funded by the World Health Organization (WHO). The WHO also participated in the study design and methodology. The contraceptive efficacy study involved the use of monthly injections of testosterone undecanoate for a period of 30 months. The study used a testosterone undecanoate (TU) preparation with 250mg of TU in 2ml of tea seed (Mellaleuca) oil. The injectable steroid was manufactured by the Chinese pharmaceutical company Zhejiang Xian Ju Pharmaceutical Corporation. Study participants were injected with an initial loading dose of 1000mg testosterone undecanoate with a 4 mL injection in each buttock. Subsequent injections of 500mg (4 mL) in a single buttock were administered in monthly intervals for the next 30 months. Researchers allowed for a 6-month “suppression phase” to suppress spermatogenesis adequately; this was followed by a 24-month “efficacy phase”.

Spermatogenesis was effectively suppressed in the majority of participants. The researchers concluded that testosterone undecanoate was highly effective at preventing pregnancy with very few side effects. "For couples who can not, or prefer not to use only female-oriented contraception, options have been limited to vasectomy, condom and withdrawal," said lead researcher Dr Yi-Qun Gu of the National Research Institute for Family Planning in Beijing. "Our study shows a male hormonal contraceptive regimen may be a potential, novel and workable alternative."

Testosterone has been known to effectively suppress spermatogenesis since it was first investigated for male contraception in the 1970s. In fact, weekly injections of 200mg testosterone enanthate (TE) were then shown to be a safe and effective birth control method. Unfortunately, the short duration of action of the enanthate ester requiring weekly injections made this method of contraception "impractical". As a result, some experts have looked to the long-acting testosterone undecanoate as the solution because it only requires a monthly injection as opposed to a weekly injection.

Some experts are skeptical about the widespread adoption of testosterone undecanoate as male birth control. Most of the concerns involve issues other than safety.

“This new formulation appears to be a success,” admits Elaine Lissner of the Male Contraception Information Project. “However, hormonal male contraceptives seem to work differently in Chinese and Caucasian men,” warns Lissner. “Testosterone alone, which was used in this study, is not considered effective enough; studies in Caucasian men add a progesterone hormone to the regimen.”

"This as been known for 15 and 20 years that [testosterone injections] are quite effective and that there is a limitation that it didn't work on everybody," according to contraceptive researcher Dr. Ronald Swerdloff. "But there's another problem and the other problem is that it doesn't work right away.” It often takes as long as six months to achieve suppression of spermatogenesis.

Furthermore, pharmaceutical companies may be reluctant to invest money in testosterone as a male contraceptive since there are so many inexpensive and effective options for female birth control.

"There hasn't been success in finding a pharmaceutical company that wants to take on this approach," said Swerdloff. "The reasons for that, in my opinion, are the same reasons that in general there have been very, very few new contraceptions for men, or even for women." After all it is easier to suppress a single egg every month than millions of sperm.

Nonetheless, the medical research supporting the safety and efficacy of anabolic-androgenic steroids for male contraception is very encouraging. Androgen research supporting the relative safety of anabolic steroids will hopefully open the door to increase research interest in the potential therapeutic applications of anabolic steroids.

Sources

“Injectable Testosterone May Provide Effective Male Contraception,” May 5, 2009

“Male 'contraceptive jab' closer,” May 5, 2009

“One Step Closer to Birth Control Shot for Men,” May 5, 2009

“Birth control for men in one injection,” May 5, 2009

By Millard Baker

http://www.millardbaker.com

www.SteroidsRx.com