Police raid steroid labs worldwide in latest drug busts.
In the last few months, police and drug related authorities have raided numerous locations worldwide, putting a halt to illegal drug trafficking.
Evolutionofbodybuilding.net takes a look at three separate incidents, that took place in West Tennessee, USA, Romania and Poland.
Steroids, hallucinogens seized amid largest drug bust in Western Tennesse.
Agents with the West Tennessee Drug Task Force served a series of search warrants Tuesday in connection with a lengthy drug investigation involving more than 25 law enforcement officers from 9 different agencies.
Agents served a search warrant at 2500 N. Central Ave. inside of the old Humboldt Walmart building, after nearly 35 pounds of edibles containing Psilocybin, a Schedule I hallucinogenic drug, were shipped through the mail and delivered to the business. During the search, Agents encountered one armed suspect in the rear of the warehouse, who was taken into custody without incident. The business was searched over a ten-hour period, where Agents uncovered multiple rooms containing an illicit steroid lab, three indoor marijuana grow operations, a gun manufacturing room, a moonshine still, and a shipping and receiving operation for shipping illegal drugs and receiving money.
Agents seized approximately 376 vials of steroid oils, 21 pounds of various steroid powders, 3.6 gallons of steroid oil, 9,180 steroid pills, 70 forged driver’s license cards from 4 states, all containing the same individual’s photo, 43.5 pounds of Psilocybin, 40 pounds of Delta 9 THC in multiple forms, 29 weapons, $153,421.00 in suspected drug proceeds, a moonshine still, a large amount of drug paraphernalia, and documentation and electronic evidence. A total of 90.5 kilograms of various narcotics were seized.
The task force seized:
- 376 vials of steroid oils
- 21 pounds of various steroid powders
- 3.6 gallons of steroid oil
- 9,180 steroid pills
- 70 forged driver’s license cards from four states, all containing the same individual’s photo
- 43.5 pounds of Psilocybin
- 40 pounds of Delta 9 THC in multiple forms
- 29 weapons
- $153,421 in suspected drug proceeds
- a moonshine still
- a large amount of drug paraphernalia
- documentation and electronic evidence
Agents also served search warrants in connection with the business on two homes in Gibson and Madison Counties, where additional steroids, steroid powder, and guns were seized.
Four persons have been arrested initially in connection with the investigation. Those persons are identified as Joseph Brian Moss, 41, and Lauren Nichole Tippet Moss, 35, both of Humboldt, and Dustin Page, 38, and Tiffany Page, 39, both of Madison County. All have been charged with a various combination of criminal offenses to include: Possession with Intent to Sell/Deliver and/or Manufacturing of Schedule I, III and VI Controlled Substances, Possession of a Firearm during the Commission of a Dangerous Felony, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Identity Theft Trafficking, Maintaining a Drug Location, and Felony Drug Paraphernalia. All are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Drug Task Force Director Johnie Carter said, “This seizure is the biggest in the 28th Judicial District and arguably West Tennessee. It is the result of many years of hard work and partnerships formed between multiple agencies. West Tennessee and more specifically, Humboldt, is a safer place to live, work, and raise our families as a result of the hard work and dedication put into this case by my Agents and our partners.”
“We want to thank Director Carter and our West Tennessee Drug Task Force team for their work on this investigation. This continues to be an ongoing investigation that involves not only Local and State agencies but also Federal agencies. Our office will seek accountability and justice, which is our goal in every case we prosecute,” stated Frederick Agee, District Attorney General for the 28th Judicial District.
This case was investigated by all 3 jurisdictions of the West Tennessee Drug Task Force, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the United States Postal Inspector, Counterdrug Task Force, A.T.F., Humboldt Police Department, Tennessee Dangerous Drugs Task Force, and the 26th Judicial District Drug Task Force. This case is being prosecuted by the Office of the 28th Judicial District Attorney, Frederick Agee.
Gym doping bust: traffickers selling steroids to influencers.
Moldovan and Romanian authorities, supported by Europol, have dismantled a criminal network producing and distributing illegal pharmaceuticals across the European Union.
Europol has supported the Moldovan Customs and the Romanian Police (Poliția Română – DCCO) in taking down a criminal network producing and distributing illegal anabolic and counterfeit pharmaceuticals. The network used popular social media influencers to promote the fake performance-enhancing substances.
The judicial side of the investigation, supported by Eurojust, was led by the Moldovan Prosecutor’s Office for Combating Organised Crime and Special Cases and the Prosecutors of the Directorate for the Investigation of Organised Crime and Terrorism.
Influential clients contribute to criminal activities worth EUR 1.5 million
The criminal network was found to be supplying a large number of clients across Romania and the European Union. The Romanian suspect had close ties with gyms in Romania, which the networks supplied with the illegal goods. Some of their clients were well-known social media influencers with popular dietary and nutrition channels, as well as prominent entertainment personalities who often appeared in broadcast media.
The suspects used instant messaging applications and dark web marketplaces to reach customers in other EU countries. To disguise the origin of the products, they used labels from famous e-commerce marketplaces to package the parcels. They then received payments in cryptocurrencies and used crypto-mixers to launder the criminal assets. Based on Europol’s analysis and the information provided by the investigators, it is estimated that the criminal profits may have reached EUR 1.5 million.
Results of the action day on 29 March 2023:
- 37 house searches (22 in Moldova in the counties of Chisinau, Briceni, Telenesti and 15 in the counties of Iași, Bacău, Bucharest, Constanța and Sibiu in Romania);
- 11 arrests in Romania (4 main organisers and 7 facilitators);
- Illegal lab dismantled and over 1 million pills found at the production site;
- 42 litres of injectable anabolic steroids;
- 6.5 kg of various active powders;
- 20 000 vials with multiple doses of Trenox, Trenbolone H, Boldenone, Primobolan, Terstosterone, Masteron, Sustanon, Clenbuterol;
- 28 000 vials Mastera, Tren Mix, Testoviron, Evogene, Stanoject;
- 340 000 anabolic steroid tablets containing various products such as Danamed, Testomed, Decamed, Provimed, Anadrol, Stanobol, Dianabol, Vikalis;
- 433 syringes and 8 500 labels;
- Assets seized include 5 cars, luxury watches, EUR 47 000, USD 15 000, over MDL 190 000, over ROL 40 000, luxury watches and precious stones, electronic equipment, two crypto “cold” wallets and bank cards.
Special surveillance leads to the arrests
The national authorities deployed special investigative techniques to gain a better understanding of the criminal activities. Through these techniques, the investigators discovered that the criminal activity was logistically well-planned and had an effective overall organisation. There were four main organisers, one Romanian and three Moldovans. The investigations revealed that every Tuesday, all three Moldovans travelled by car in Romania. From Wednesday to Thursday or Friday, they produced the illegal pharmaceuticals in the factory. Once the production was ready, the Moldovan suspects supplied the Romanian suspect in charge of distribution.
WADA and Polish Anti-Doping Agency contribute to successful police raid and steroid seizure.
A joint-operation between law enforcement agencies in Europe and the Polish Anti-Doping Agency (POLADA) has successfully removed performance-enhancing substances from circulation and broken up an extensive criminal network that was running drugs throughout Eastern Europe.
The coordinated police raids, which also included assistance from Europol and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), uncovered 10 warehouses at locations in Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic containing underground laboratories that were illegally producing dietary supplements and counterfeit drugs. In the course of the raids, 550,000 packages of illegal substances were seized, including anabolic and androgenic steroids prohibited in sport, several hundred packages of new psychoactive substances, a quantity of cash and about one ton of various types of raw materials and components used in the illegal production.
Police arrested 19 people in connection with the illegal operation and while the total value of the haul has not yet been calculated, EUR 3.5 million (USD 3.8 million) worth of other property belonging to the suspects was also seized.
WADA President, Witold Bańka, said: “The World Anti-Doping Agency is delighted to have contributed to this sophisticated, multi-party operation through our Intelligence and Investigations Department. Since its formation in 2016, this team has played a pivotal role in the protection of clean sport, leading several successful investigations, across a range of countries and sports. This latest operation is the result of excellent collaboration between several organizations, including WADA, the Polish Anti-Doping Agency and law enforcement in a number of European nations. Increasingly, these kinds of collaborations with various law enforcement agencies, including Europol, INTERPOL and customs authorities, are bearing fruit and delivering results for the athletes of the world. I congratulate the police and all those involved, and I pledge the ongoing support of WADA to help restrict the global production, sale and supply of performance-enhancing drugs.”
Polish Anti-Doping Agency Director, Michał Rynkowski, said: “Once again we have evidence that organized crime today is not only about narcotics, it is also about the market for steroids, counterfeit supplements and other illegal and often life-threatening substances. The scale of this particular case should be a further warning to society as a whole and to athletes in particular. POLADA will continue to work with law enforcement authorities in their investigations by exchanging intelligence to bring criminals to justice and remove these harmful substances from sport and society.”
Video and photos from the raid have been released by Polish police.
