For any of you readers who have attended one of our Hoot's Chalk Talk programs, you will recall that we explain that the source of most of the steroids being sold on the street is China.  And, that as a result, the quality and "cleanliness" of these drugs is no where near what it should be!!  A substantial percentage have been found to be contaminated with lead, mercury, zinc, tin, and/or arsenic.

Here is news of a very recent bust of some US recipients of these Chinese steroids.

Don

Crime

"Bossman", "Gasman" and "Triple H": The Guys Who Smuggled Your Steroids from China

From cocaine to black-market cigarettes, Miami has long been America's preferred gateway for smugglers. Add Chinese steroids to the list.

Last week, Miami feds charged 36-year-old North Carolina resident Eric Davis-- nicknamed "Triple H"-- with distributing steroids through the internet.  His alleged co-conspirators, Michael "Gasman" Reich and Timothy "Bossman" Tate, have already pleaded guilty to the same charge. They sold powder steroids through their Pro Labs online company- a provider cagily discussed by 'roid connoisseurs on this message board.

     

Steroid and human growth hormone production is a huge business in China, home of a $40 billion drug industry and very lax regulation.

Davis is accused of attempting to distribute 12.5 kilos of anabolic steroids. That's a lot of shrunken testicles. 

http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/riptide/2010/03/bossman_gasman_and_triple_h_th.php 

Experimenting with drugs and alcohol are rights of passage for many kids on college campuses and jocks aren’t immune. While it would seem to make sense that high-level athletes would avoid these behaviors in order to preserve their performance, a recent study published in the Journal of Studies On Alcohol and Drugs proves that isn’t so in every case.

 

The study, undertaken by Rutgers University’s Center of Alcohol Studies, concludes that college athletes who use performance-enhancing substances are at higher risk of misusing alcohol and recreational drugs compared to athletes who don’t use such drugs, according to BehavioralHealthCentral.com. To arrive at these findings, the study looked at 234 male athletes who admitted to using steroids, stimulants and weight-loss supplements. The New Jersey University discovered that those same athletes were more likely to drink heavily and use marijuana, cocaine and other recreational drugs.

It’s no surprise that some college athletes use performance-enhancing drugs and that they also partake of alcohol or other recreational drugs, but this study is noteworthy because it’s the first of its kind to look at whether college athletes who take performance enhancers are also more likely to misuse other substances. While many athletes steer clear of anything that could hurt their performance on the field, “those who are attracted to using performance-enhancers seem to have a propensity for ‘sensation seeking,’ making them also drawn toward the misuse of other drugs and alcohol,” BehavioralHealthCentral.com reported.

 

Of the 30 percent of athletes who admitted using performance-enhancing substances, approximately 70 percent reported using marijuana and roughly 30 percent reported using cocaine, according to Jennifer F. Buckman, Ph.D. an assistant research professor at the Center of Alcohol Studies. In contrast, athletes who didn’t use performance-enhancing substances were much less likely to use other drugs. Only 20 percent admitted to using marijuana and three percent said they had used cocaine. Binge drinking and misuse of prescription meds was also higher among athletes who used performance enhancers.

http://www.transworldnews.com/NewsStory.aspx?id=291538&cat=15 

Capitals linked to arrested chiropractor

ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- Washington Capitals players were seen by the office of a chiropractor who was arrested Tuesday morning in Reston (Va.) on reported charges of obtaining steroids and other illegal and performance-enhancing drugs from an alleged steroid dealer in Lakeland, Fla.

Douglas Owen Nagel, 50, has an office in the mall connected to Kettler Capitals Iceplex where the Capitals practice. On that office door are the painted words "Washington Capitals" -- but the club released a statement late yesterday afternoon denying an affiliation with Nagel.

"Dr. Douglas Owen Nagel, a Virginia chiropractor who was arrested (yesterday), is not affiliated with the Washington Capitals and is not the 'team chiropractor,' as he has stated," the statement read. "Dr. Nagel's office, however, has seen some of our players for standard, routine chiropractic services.

"As part of the NHL's drug policy, Capitals players are randomly tested up to three times per year by an independent testing agency, which sends the samples to the World Anti-Doping Association for testing. Capitals players have been tested twice so far this year. At no time in our history has a Capitals player ever tested positive."

In a story first reported by AOL Fanhouse yesterday morning, two detectives and a member of the U.S. Marshal's office arrived at Kettler Capitals Iceplex a few hours after Nagel's arrest in Florida.

Nagel was listed as a consultant to the Capitals and baseball's Washington Nationals at a medical conference in Washington last year, the Washington Post reported on its Web site yesterday. However, the Post also reported that investigators have found no "conclusive evidence or proof" that Nagel had distributed steroids to any professional athletes, according to a release from the Polk sheriff's office in Lakeland.

Florida law enforcement authorities are continuing with a steroid investigation following the arrest of Richard Thomas in May 2009. In their statement the Capitals noted they "are not the target of this investigation, and there is no evidence that steroids were provided to any Capitals players."

We continuously get asked, "where do users get their steroids?"  Most users get their "juice" at gyms or on the Internet.  Occasionally, doctors are writing prescriptions for this poison.  In this case, the local pharmacy was working in tandem with a doctor . . . . they were making a lot of money selling these drugs. 

At least one person died as a direct result of this doctor's shameless behavior.

Don

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The Staten Island doctor on trial for allegedly giving steroids to patients -- 19 city cops and bodybuilders, including a heart transplant recipient from Westerleigh who later died -- pleaded guilty today.

Richard Lucente, 38, admitted in Brooklyn Supreme Court that he received kickbacks from Lowen's Pharmacy in Bay Ridge for sending patients to the drugstore to fill prescriptions.

The drugstore was co-owned by John Rossi of Eltingville, who killed himself in January 2008 shortly after a federal raid on the business uncovered $8 million worth of human growth hormone and anabolic steroids.

Prosecutors had previously claimed Lucente -- who had a Dongan Hills office and ran the New York Anti-Aging and Wellness Center in West Brighton -- received about $27,000 from Lowen's and netted nearly $530,000 from 220 clients between 2005 and 2007.

Lucente, facing 30 years if convicted, pleaded guilty to once count of conspiracy before Justice Abraham Gerges.

He was given five years' probation, 200 hours of community service and will surrender his medical license.

"He is a convicted felon," prosecutor Michael Spanakos told media outlets. "He is not writing prescriptions."

Lucente had also been charged with reckless endangerment for his alleged responsibility in the death of 39-year-old bodybuilder Joseph Baglio.

For a fee of about $500 per month, Lucente had treated Baglio in his "wellness program" between 2005 and 2007, giving him anabolic steroids and human growth hormone for a supposed testosterone deficiency.

Baglio, who had received a heart transplant in late 2004, died of heart failure on March 8, 2007.

Lucente told reporters outside of court that he took the plea deal to avoid jail time and because he has a young son.

The trial began March 4 and had been expected to last at least six weeks, including testimony from city and federal investigators, three of Lucente's former patients, an official from the state Department of Health and dozens of medical experts, including a Los Angeles doctor who helped create Major League Baseball drug testing policy.

A coach in the State of Tennessee is accused of providing steroids to one of his players under the guise of providing him with supplements. 

What did the school officials do when they found out about the incident?  They allegedly instructed the kid to "shut up" and not talk about the situation to anyone, including his mom!

This case represents a perfect example of why we need to be providing education in the schools . . . and NOT just to the students!  It looks like coaches, teachers, and school administrators could use a good dose of schooling on this timely topic. 

Don

A football player in Cumberland County is suing officials at his high school. He says a coach gave him anabolic steroids without his knowledge.

Benjamin Dodd claims it all started after his junior season at Stone Memorial High School.

Dodd says he asked assistant football coach Jim Wilson about taking supplements to make him stronger.

The lawsuit, obtained by 10 News, accuses Wilson of giving Dodd steroids without telling him what they were.

It goes on to say Dodd began having side effects like severe headaches and violent mood swings.

The suit says when school officials found out about the steroids, they told Dodd not to talk about it, and did not inform his mother.

Dodd is suing the principal, assistant coach, and several others.

The lawsuit does not say how much money Dodd is asking for, but says Dodd still needs medical attention because of ongoing side effects.

Read More >>  

 

 

Hooton Story Encourages Students To Avoid Steroids

Is this where we are headed?  A society where the use of anabolic steroids has surpassed the use of other drugs?

If you've not read any other article that I've posted in this section, please take 5 minutes and read this article in its entirety.  Because, I believe this is where we in the US are headed.  Why?  Because as a nation, vanity and the desire to win at any cost drives our youth's behavior while at the same time we are effectively doing NOTHING to impede the growth of this growing epidemic!

Don

STEROID use is so rife in Wales, users are outnumbering junkies in using needle-exchange programmes, drug experts have warned.

Needle-exchange figures reveal that the numbers of users on body-enhancing drugs using the services has rocketed to 80% of the total in some areas.

Cheap, often fake, internet steroids are flooding the market as more and more young Welsh men attempt to take a quick, easy path towards a body like Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Fake steroids have been known to include baby oil and drugs normally intended for bulking-up cattle.

They have also been known to cause a raft of side-effects including impotence, hair loss and the growth of “moobs” – man-breasts.

Mike Mallett of the Newport needle exchange – where nearly two-thirds of walk-in clients are steroid-users – warned that the trend was growing and that people now had “no difficulty” getting hold of dangerous drugs from the internet and dealers.

He said: “We’ve seen a steady year-on-year increase in the number of people using steroids.

“The numbers are creeping up and around 60% of our client-base here are steroid users. A large proportion of them are young males aged 18 or 19 who want to go on steroids before they have done any weight training, which can lead to long-term health problems.”

Read More >>  

BY JEFF DARLINGTON
jdarlington@MiamiHerald.com

Howard Balzer of the St. Louis Globe-Democrat is reporting that Ryan Tucker's retirement from the Cleveland Browns came after the offensive lineman tested positive for steroids. That would have cost the veteran 8 games next season because he had been caught once before for using banned substances.

Tucker announced he was walking away from the game on sportstalk radio WKNR saying:

"We notified the league and we are notifying the Cleveland Browns family that I'm shutting it down. It's time for me to go ahead and hang up the cleats and starting being a daddy and a husband. I'm going that route."

http://www.clevelandleader.com/node/13269 

Charges released in Calhoun High steroids case