Ireland bust: 60,000 vials seized, one person arrested

[master.on]

OVER 60,000 VIALS labelled as containing anabolic steroids were seized this morning at a number of locations in Donegal.
A joint operation between An Garda Síochana, Revenue and the Health Products Regulatory Authority saw a range of other illegal medicines seized, including human growth hormone and products indicated for erectile dysfunction.
The total value of illegal medicines is estimated to be more than €2 million.
Evidence of an illegal medicines manufacturing operation was also found.*
In addition, a car was seized for breach of VRT regulations, along with a substantial amount of cash.
One person was arrested, and investigations are continuing.
The operation involved gardaí from Buncrana and Letterkenny, revenue enforcement officers from Letterkenny, Dundalk and Monaghan, and enforcement officers from the HPRA.
It was also supported by the Revenue’s detector dog.
Steroids, growth hormones and erectile dysfunction pills worth €2 million seized in Donegal
* Maybe they imported powders to Ireland and made finished products there?

...A major cross-border investigation** is continuing following the discovery of an estimated €2m worth of anabolic steroids and a number of other drugs in Donegal...
https://www.donegalnow.com/news/e2m-worth-anabolic-steroids-seized-donegal-major-investigation-underway/149888
** So they were tipped of by a foreign gov't?

In a joint operation by Gardaí, Revenue and the Health Products Regulatory Authority a total 60,000 vials were found following a number of searches in the county this morning.***
http://www.kildare-nationalist.ie/2017/03/09/e2m-worth-of-anabolic-steroids-seized-in-donegal/
The PSNI had carried out further searches in Northern Ireland, it said.***
Steroids and medicines worth 2m euros seized in Donegal - BBC News
*** What did they find in the other searches?

The total value of illegal medicines detained is estimated to be in excess of €2 million
Gardai seize 60,000 vials of anabolic steroids worth €2m - Independent.ie

A man in his 30s was arrested, but later released without charge.
Steroids and medicines worth 2m euros seized in Donegal - BBC News
Typical of recent busts
HUGE gear warehouses in EU countries (being EU = less mail scrutiny than china), yet with lax steroid penalties
60,000 vials just for the Irish market?
No way, unless they're preparing themselves to counterinvade the UK LOL

 

[ickyrica]

There was an Irish dude a while back that was asking a million things about him brewing at a larger scale, vacuum pump setup etc.

This article reminds me of him.

@Darren Ferris I'm thinking of you bro...

 

[master.on]

60,000 vials?
Supposing each customer buys an AVERAGE of 60 vials a day
and they hold supplies for 3 months (illegal ops don't hold large stocks so in case of a bust, they don't lose it all)
That's enough gear for 4,000 bodybuilders (for 3 months)
while there might be 4000 juicers in Ireland, they would need to dominate the local market to sell that much.

If every vial costs them $15 overall, including finished gear costs + smuggling costs, salaries, sales commissions and all other costs (maybe even bribes)
that's $900,000 in gear!

Certainly not the average Joe investing $25k of his job severance payment or Credit Card cash advance.
This is obviously a LARGE scale operation.

Doesn't this bust look too similar to the recent Poland/Slovakia bust last month?
http://anabolicdatabase.com/wp/huge-steroid-seller-busted-in-poland/

 

[master.on]

Evidence of an illegal medicines manufacturing operation was also found.
I wonder if they brewed the steroids there.
They would need about 600 liters or oil (about 3 drums) plus some BA and BB, not that much.
Compare it to moving 60000 vials from lab to warehouse. They'd need to own or rent a truck for that, possibly attracting LE attention or being spotted in street cameras.

 

[bonacris]

Apparently it's a popular label in the Uk so it would have an online presence and a lot of packages being shipped.

 

[master.on]

Apparently it's a popular label in the Uk so it would have an online presence and a lot of packages being shipped.

What was the lab/brand name?

 

[bonacris]

What was the lab/brand name?

On the UK forum some think its SIS which used to be Infiniti