Anabolic Steroids

OCT 15– SACRAMENTO, Calif. —Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Assistant Special Agent in Charge Gordon Taylor, El Dorado County Sheriff Jeff Neves, and El Dorado County District Attorney Vern Pierson, announced today the conclusion of a ten-month undercover investigation into an illegal anabolic steroid manufacturing ring that led to three arrests and the service of three state search warrants in Sacramento and El Dorado Counties. As a result of this investigation, agents seized a large anabolic steroid lab in Elverta, CA, over 500 vials and 1,850 capsules of anabolic steroid pills, and arrested Jason Glavin, 37, of El Dorado Hills, CA, Erin O’Neil, 40, and his wife Amy O’Neil, 32, both of Fair Oaks, CA.

“In terms of underground steroid labs, this was a huge seizure for this area,” stated Gordon Taylor, DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge. Taylor added, “The illegal use of anabolic steroids can be a dangerous practice, especially for young people. This danger is only compounded when drug rings manufacture steroids in unsanitary, unsterilized underground labs like we found in this case.”

“These arrests not only take criminals out of our neighborhoods, but also make the distribution of anabolic steroids more difficult in El Dorado County.  I am proud of the cooperation between the Sheriff’s Office and the DEA in bringing this steroid ring to an end,” stated El Dorado County Sheriff Jeff Neves.

“Anabolic steroid use is a very serious problem among our youth and while they make bold promises, steroids can deliver tragic results. The El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office will continue to work with our partners in law enforcement to prosecute individuals who distribute this dangerous drug,” stated District Attorney Vern Pierson.

Clandestine Steroid Lab

In January 2009, the West El Dorado Narcotics Enforcement Team (WENET) began this investigation, and one month later requested assistance from the DEA Sacramento Office. In February 2009, a WENET undercover officer met with and purchased two vials of anabolic steroids from Jason Glavin at a parking lot in El Dorado Hills, CA. During this meeting the undercover officer learned that Glavin had obtained his supply of anabolic steroids for more than a decade from an individual who allegedly worked in the medical field. The investigation later revealed that Erin O’Neil was Glavin’s supplier for anabolic steroids.

Between February and September 2009, the undercover officer purchased anabolic steroids from Glavin on multiple occasions at a grocery store parking lot in Citrus Heights, CA. Before and after some of the undercover purchases, Glavin drove to the residence of his alleged steroid suppliers, Erin and Amy O’Neil, located at 4306 Castleglen Way, Fair Oaks, CA. According to the search warrant affidavit, Glavin’s steroid supplier received “raw product” and clandestinely manufactured and labeled the anabolic steroids for distribution.

During the course of the investigation agents learned that purchases in the name of Amy O’Neil were made through Pay Pal from a manufacturer of blank laser and inkjet labels, and from a company that sold encapsulating machines and various sized capsules, which can be used to encapsulate anabolic steroids.

This case culminated in the late afternoon on October 14, 2009, when Glavin was placed under arrest after he delivered 100 vials of anabolic steroids to the undercover officer in a parking lot at San Juan Avenue and Sunset Avenue in Citrus Heights, CA. Following Glavin’s arrest, law enforcement served three state search warrants at the following locations:

• 3015 Borgata Way, El Dorado Hills, California (Glavin’s residence)
• 4306 Castleglen Way, Fair Oaks, California (residence of Erin and Amy O’Neil)
• 3635 Elorduy Lane, Elverta, California (clandestine steroid lab location)

As a result of the search warrants, agents seized a large clandestine anabolic steroid lab in a residence at 3635 Elorduy Lane, Elverta, CA. This residence was associated with Erin and Amy O’Neil. The lab was located in an unsanitary utility room and contained what appeared to be raw steroid powder and large containers of liquid steroids, a vast array of packaging materials, vials, capsules and pre-printed steroid vial labels. Overall, this investigation resulted in the seizure of approximately 500 vials and 1,850 capsules of anabolic steroids with an estimated street value of $118,000.

Erin O’Neil, Amy O’Neil, and Jason Glavin were booked into custody at the El Dorado County Jail for violations of the California Health and Safety Code Sections 11377, 11378, and 11379.

This case is the product of an investigation by the DEA Sacramento District Office and West El Dorado Narcotics Enforcement Team (WENET) with assistance from the California Highway Patrol. The El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office is prosecuting this case.

The charges are only allegations and the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

DEA Official Testifies to U.S. Senate on Steroids and Health Supplements

SEP 29 – WASHINGTON, DC — DEA Assistant Administrator, Joseph T. Rannazzisi today testified in the Senate Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs on the rising problem of illegal anabolic steroids and dietary supplements and other over-the-counter health products. The following is Mr. Rannazzisi’s statement to the Committee:

Written Statement of Joseph T. Rannazzisi, Deputy Assistant Administrator,
Office of Diversion Control
Drug Enforcement Administration
“Body Building Products and Hidden Steroids: Enforcement Barriers”
September 29, 2009
Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs
Judiciary Committee
United States Senate

Introduction

Chairman Specter, Ranking Member Graham, and distinguished Members of the Subcommittee, on behalf of Acting Administrator Michele Leonhart and the more than 9,400 men and women of the Drug Enforcement Administration, I want to thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today and testify in this hearing, “Body Building Products and Hidden Steroids: Enforcement Barriers.

Background

To understand the use of steroid products for body building and performance enhancement, we must start by discussing testosterone. Testosterone is a hormone that is produced in the body and primarily responsible for the development and maintenance of male sexual characteristics (androgenic effects) and the promotion of muscle growth (anabolic effects). Testosterone was first synthesized in the 1930s and was subsequently utilized by bodybuilders, weight lifters, and amateur and professional athletes to perfect body appearance, increase physical performance, and gain muscle size and mass. In short, testosterone is used for performance enhancement, that is, to get bigger, stronger and faster. In addition to professional and amateur sports figures, we are now seeing law enforcement and public safety officials using these substances as well.

Testosterone has very limited effectiveness as an oral medication since it is rapidly broken down in the liver. It is generally given by inter-muscular injection, however, creams or gels have also been used as a delivery system to take advantage of absorption through the skin, avoiding the liver and subsequent breakdown of the drug.

Over time, scientists developed and synthesized compounds or derivatives that were structurally similar to testosterone (“designer steroids”) and prohormones or precursors, inactive or minimally active compounds that, when ingested, metabolize into an active anabolic steroid.

An example would be androstenedione (“andro”), a moderately active steroid that, when ingested, metabolizes into testosterone. Androstenedione was sold over the Internet and in health food and nutrition stores as a dietary supplement until 2004, when FDA sent warning letters to 23 companies asking them to cease distribution of the product or risk enforcement action. The FDA took this action because it believed that the use of supplements containing androstenedione would increase the risk of serious health problems. Many, if not all of the testosterone “boosters”, testosterone derivative compounds, and steroid prohormones/precursors on the market today are sold as dietary supplements.

In 1990, Congress passed the Anabolic Steroids Control Act of 1990, which placed 27 anabolic steroids into schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act. By virtue of placement in schedule III, the law increased penalties for steroid trafficking and imposed strict production and record keeping requirements on pharmaceutical firms. In 2004, Congress passed the Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 2004, which placed an additional 36 steroids and over-the-counter prohormone dietary supplements into schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act, including androstenedione and its derivatives.

Dietary Supplements and Designer Steroids

Dietary supplements are regulated by HHS’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under amendments to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDC Act) added by the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) which was enacted in 1994. (For convenience, this testimony will refer to those FDC Act provisions as “DSHEA”.) Under DSHEA, the manufacturer is responsible for ensuring that their products are safe and properly labeled prior to marketing. If a product containing a steroid or steroid precursor meets the definition of a dietary supplement, FDA must show that the product is adulterated (e.g., because it presents a significant or unreasonable risk of illness or injury) before the supplement can be removed from the market. However, if the product meets the definition of a drug, FDA need not show that the product is unsafe or otherwise adulterated to take enforcement action against it. The Drug Enforcement Administration does not have statutory authority to enforce provisions of DSHEA and has very limited authority to enforce other provisions within the FDC Act.

Although DEA does not have statutory authority to enforce DSHEA, DEA does have statutory authority to investigate incidents involving the illegal manufacture and distribution of anabolic adrenergic steroids in the dietary supplement market. DEA also is involved to the extent that it can administratively schedule a substance that is chemically and pharmacologically related to testosterone and that is used in dietary supplements. Additionally, DEA has the authority and responsibility to investigate companies that are marketing products as dietary supplements that are adulterated with controlled substances.

Administrative Scheduling

1 See 21 U.S.C. 333. DEA has authority under the FDCA to investigate the illegal distribution of human growth hormone, a non-controlled legend drug. With the passage of the Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 2004, Congress refined the definition in the original 1990 law (21 U.S.C. 802(41)(A)) to allow DEA to administratively classify additional steroids as schedule III anabolic steroids. The statute defines an anabolic steroid as a substance that is both chemically and pharmacologically related to testosterone; is not an estrogen, progestin or corticosteroid; and is not dihydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). Using this provision, DEA identifies substances marketed as anabolic products in the dietary supplement market and then conducts a chemical and pharmacologic analysis of the substance to determine if it is related to testosterone, conducts a comprehensive review of existing peer reviewed scientific literature and if necessary, conducts additional pharmacologic testing to ultimately determine if the substance meets the criteria for a schedule III anabolic steroid. The scheduling process requires an interagency review, the publication of a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, a review of public comments, and the publication of a Final Rule in the Federal Register that provides notice to the public and industry that the substance will be designated as a schedule III anabolic steroid. This process is conducted in accordance with the Administrative Procedures Act and takes many months to complete. There is no method, under the current statute, to expedite the scheduling process.

DEA has uncovered several products that we are currently evaluating for scheduling. These products were being sold and marketed as anabolic substances in the dietary supplement market and were found to be chemically and pharmacologically similar to testosterone. DEA is in the final stages of the scheduling process for three (3) of these substances, identified as boldione, desoxymethyltestosterone, and 19-nor-4,9(10)- androstadienedione. As of August 2008, DEA was aware of 58 dietary supplements purportedly containing one or more of these three steroids. The initial Notice of Proposed Rulemaking concerning the scheduling of these substances was published in April of 2008. We anticipate publishing the Final Rule within the next several months. If finalized as proposed, these products would be the first three substances scheduled under the 2004 Anabolic Steroid Control Act. As you can see, the overall time period to perform an anabolic steroid scheduling action may take as long as two years to complete.

DEA is reviewing three other substances identified as methyldrostanolone, prostanozol, and adrenostreone. All three are found in the dietary supplement market and two of these products are believed to be more potent than testosterone. So, in the time that it takes DEA to administratively schedule an anabolic steroid used in a dietary supplement product, several new products can enter the market to take the place of those products that have completed the lengthy administrative process. Chemists continue to create new derivative products by substituting and altering the testosterone molecule and then market them as “dietary supplements”. Often, these new formulations have never been clinically tested and any adverse reactions in humans are simply unknown. In some instances these products have been linked to serious liver damage or other health issues.

Dietary Supplements Containing Controlled Substances

Recently, DEA has identified products in the dietary supplement market that contain small amounts of schedule III anabolic steroids. The presence of these anabolic steroids was not listed on the label of specific products and the consumer was not aware that the substance that he or she had purchased from the local nutrition shop contained a controlled anabolic steroid. Analyses of some dietary supplements by DEA labs as well as independent analytical labs have identified controlled anabolic steroids in products purchased directly from the local nutrition shop. The companies manufacturing, bottling and marketing these products do not hold controlled substance registrations and the manufacture and distribution of these products violate various provisions of the Controlled Substances Act. It is not unusual for some dietary supplements products to contain controlled anabolic steroids in one batch and not the next.

These are often referred to as “hot” batches in the industry. The intent is to stir public interest in a product that is marketed by word of mouth or on blogs across the Internet. These products may contain subpotent or superpotent levels of controlled anabolic steroids. In these instances consumers are completely unaware of the actual contents of the products they are purchasing. An analysis of more than 600 dietary supplements revealed that approximately 15% contained anabolic steroids.2 Two-hundred and forty of these supplements were from the United States with 18.8% containing undeclared anabolic steroids.

Adverse Effects of Anabolic Steroids

The use of anabolic steroids or dietary supplements that contain anabolic steroids or designer steroids, in high doses that boost, alter or derive from testosterone may trigger numerous adverse health effects in the human body including liver toxicity, baldness, uncontrolled rage, and heart attacks. Long-term, large dose usage of anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) has been shown to result in dependence associated with acute withdrawal syndrome to include depressed mood, fatigue, anorexia, and insomnia. The abuse of AAS also causes abusers to become dependant on multiple drugs.3 For example: use of sedatives as a sleep aid, narcotic use to decrease pain, use of anti-depressants for mood swings, and amphetamine use to increase endurance and burn fat.

The use/abuse of steroids by adolescences also is a cause of concern. In 1993, Yesalis et al reported that 80% of 12-17 year olds who had used steroids at least once in their lives had committed acts of violence or crimes against property within the past year, a rate more than twice that of those not having taken anabolic steroids. An Internet survey of 500 AAS users 2 Geyer, H; Parr, M.,K.; Mareck, U.; Reinhart, U.; Schrader, Y.; Schanzer, W. International Journal of Sports Medicine 2004, pp. 124-129: Analysis of Non-Hormonal Nutritional Supplements for Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids-Results of an International Study . 3 Skarberg, K.; Nyberg, F.; Engstrom, I. Eur Addict Res 2009, 15 (2), 99-106, Multisubstance Use as a Feature of Addition to Anabolic-Androgenic steroids . revealed that 26% of the respondents started use during their teenage years with 95% reporting poly-drug use. 4

Conclusion

DEA is committed to protecting the health and welfare of the American people. DEA continues to investigate and uncover dietary supplement products that contain either controlled anabolic steroids or designer steroids that are structurally similar to testosterone. Once found, DEA then initiates a scientific review and analysis followed by any appropriate administrative scheduling process. However, unscrupulous chemists take advantage of this lengthy administrative scheduling process. They continue to create and market products that contain chemicals which have never been adequately tested on humans and by the time government agencies become aware of adverse effects it is often too late as the damage has already been done.

Steroid abuse has been associated with cardiovascular diseases (CVD), including heart attacks and strokes, even in athletes younger than 30. Steroids contribute to the development of CVD, partly by changing the levels of lipoproteins that carry cholesterol in the blood. Steroids, particularly the oral types, increase the level of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and decrease the level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL). High LDL and low HDL levels increase the risk of atherosclerosis, a condition in which fatty substances are deposited inside arteries and disrupt blood flow. If blood is prevented from reaching the heart, the result can be a heart attack. If blood is prevented from reaching the brain, the result can be a stroke.

Steroids also increase the risk that blood clots will form in blood vessels, potentially disrupting blood flow and damaging the heart muscle so that it does not pump blood effectively.

ACNE

One of the most known side-effects of steroid use is Bodybuilder’s Acne. The Lancet followed a 21-year bodybuilder’s quest to rid himself of resulting acne. Not only did the acne persist and warrant medical treatment…it left permanent scarring after doctors implemented every remedy plausible. View the photographs which transition from his competitive physique with moderate discoloration to ulcerated acne, and finally residual effects which are permanent.

ENLARGED HEART

Well known and most common is the side effect of an enlarged heart. Steroids will influence the muscle most used including the human heart; the constantly-pumping organ that is the most used muscle in the human body. Shown is a side-by-side comparison of the human heart as provided by National Geographic U.K. Much like an inflating balloon, the wall of an enlarging human heart does not also increase in thickness. Scar tissue builds around the heart which causes irregular electric charge which subsequently impedes proper pumping of blood (particularly in the lower chambers). Ultimately, the heart wall becomes more stretched, thinner, and quite vulnerable until it eventually rips open. Thus, heart attacks are the most common fatal side-effect of steroid use. Because the heart has failed, often a major stroke follows.

• Illegal in the United States and numerous other countries
• Penalties for possession and/or distribution involve prison time and hefty fines
  • First offense may be $250,000 USD and 5 year prison term
  • Second offense may be $500,000 USD and 10 year prison term
• Harmful side effects reach 100% of users as early as 3^rd cycle
• Harmful side effects actually work against the idea of healthy living
• Deadly side effects strike more rapidly and not gradually.
• Harmful side effects are often irreversible and do NOT afford a medical option
• Steroid / growth hormone use is cheating and typically this type of cheater gets caught
• Steroid / growth hormone results are too obvious to fool others as being a part of a natural process
• Most physique / strength gains from steroid use can be achieved naturally but it takes 2 – 3 times longer
• In exchange for a longer time to experience gains via natural route, harmful and deadly side effects are avoided
• Steroid / growth hormone use suggests laziness and weakness that the user felt he/she could NOT overcome
• Anabolic Steroids, Designer Roids, and growth hormones offer no difference in harshness of side effects