William Llewellyn and Ashley Vincent Livingston have been both involved in the underground anabolic steroid market for over a decade. Llewellyn chose a legal path writing and reporting on the illicit androgen market whereas Livingston (better known as Redicat) chose to participate as a producer and distributor of anabolic steroids sold on the black market. Redicat was responsible for the introduction of “Paper Anabolics” that was explicitly created to pass undetected through customs controls into the United States.
In August 2000 Redi Cat announced on the boards that the new steroid revolution had come about in the shape of Paper Anabolics – a concept first discussed between Redi Cat’s associate and the late steroid guru, Dan Duchaine.
Redicat purportedly made millions of dollars in his chosen profession manufacturing and distributing PaperBol (Methandienone), PaperStrol (Stanazolol), PaperDrol (Oxymetholone), PaperVar (Oxandrolone), PaperHalo (fluoxymesterone), PaperPrimo (methenolone), etc. He was arrested in Thailand after a major international bust that involved the British Dragon cofounder Edwin Crawley in March 2008.
Anthony Roberts recently posted in his blog that William Llewellyn had betrayed Redicat several years ago in 2002 by publishing details about Redicat’s Paper Anabolics products that included detailed photographs. The alleged betrayal was based on information posted by prominent members of the Anabolex forum who thought that Llewellyn published the photos without Redicat’s permission.
One of the first things they did was to print photos of Redicat’s Paper Anabolics. This came about when Summers/Harcourt and Llewellyn actually got the samples and information on how they are produced by talking to Redicat, who was the first guy to put them on the market. Long-Story-Short, they quickly betrayed Redicat, by publishing photos of the products, and in addition putting the instructions on how to make them in the book.
The truth about William Llewellyn and Redicat is that they were on good terms. Based on email correspondences between Llewellyn and Redicat, it is clear that Redicat expressly wanted Llewellyn to publish photos of Paper Anabolics products.
Sorry about the “heat” you have been receiving over at the Anabolex – being that Admin and most of the mods are on real friendly terms with me and have always been ready to support RC and the products we carry, I guess they are just trying to be protective.
[…]
When I find out what’s going on and Admin gets back to me I will endeavor to smooth things over for you – bottom line is I gave you permission to use that photo having given it careful consideration, so anyone knocking you for it is a little out of line. (emphasis added)
Naturally though, in line with what the other guy suggested, I can only hope that my decision to let that photo fly has not set the cat among the (DEA) birds, if you’ll forgive the pun.
While William Llewellyn often receives “heat” for his lab analyses e.g. toxic metals contamination in underground lab steroids, there is no “smoke” from the alleged betrayal of Redicat. Reporting on black market androgens is challenging due the illicit commercial nature of the underground steroid trade. In addition, the underground community’s desire to keep the trade secretive often conflicts with the need to protect consumers with information aimed at harm reduction.
But as our “feline friend” thanked Llewellyn in an email for the “time, thought and energy… invested” in the publication of photos of Redicat’s Paper Anabolics, we should also be grateful for the intellectual and financial investment William Llewellyn provides in the name of harm reduction for steroid consumers.
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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