President Barrack Obama may think the federal investigations into anabolic steroids should not be a top priority for the government, but the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) strongly disagrees. The DEA emphasized that steroids are “extremely dangerous” and respresent a significant threat to public health during a recent press briefing involving the sentencing of Operation Raw Deal defendants (“Pearland couple to be sentenced for operating major steroid pill mill,” January 27).
“It’s not just a drug that can be taken lightly,” explained DEA Special Agent Violet Szeleczky. “It’s something that we still consider extremely dangerous to the public and we’re going to investigate it to its fullest, just as if it were heroin, cocaine or marijuana.”
DEA Special Agent Violet Szeleczky promised to treat anabolic steroid cases no differently than cocaine or heroin cases when it comes to allocating agency investigative resources. Agent Szeleczky made these comments in relation to the sentencing of one of the largest underground labs (UGLs) busted during Operation Raw Deal.
Kenneth Hebert and Leticia Zamora, the owners of TexStar Labs and Phalco Labs, pleaded guilty to distributing millions of dosages of illegal steroids over the internet. Ironically, while the Special Agent Szeleczky continues to demonize anabolic steroids with talk about the dangers and threats to public health, prosecutors are prepared to dramatically slash the sentencing for the defendants in this case.
Prosecutors agreed to give Leticia Zamora probation only after she pleaded guilty to charges that could have landed her 20 years imprisonment and a $500,000 fine.
Similarly, prosecutors agreed to sentencing Kenneth Hebert at the low end of federal guidelines after he faced up to 5 years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.
The demonizing rhetoric by the DEA is necessary to justify the massive costs of Operation Raw Deal.
About the author
Millard writes about anabolic steroids and performance enhancing drugs and their use and impact in sport and society. He discusses the medical and non-medical uses of anabolic-androgenic steroids while advocating a harm reduction approach to steroid education.
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