Alfred Scarpa, 35, was sentenced to 33 months in a federal prison for operating a “steroid factory” out of his home and for illegal possession of two firearms. In the hearing held in Newark last week, U.S. District Judge H. Walls ordered Scarpa to voluntarily surrender to the Bureau of Prisons before March 23.

According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Kirsch, Alfred Scarpa pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute anabolic steroids, as well as unlawful possession of firearms by a convicted felon. He sourced anabolic steroids over the Internet using the email accounts gearhustle@safe-mail.net and gearhustle@cyber-rights.net. Scarpa admitted that he was planning to sell and distribute 40,000 doses of anabolic steroids, which he manufactured and stored in his basement. He also admitted to possessing two .40-caliber semiautomatic handguns, violating the law that prohibits convicted felons from carrying firearms.

Scarpa was arrested at his residence in Rhode Street, New Jersey at the height of Operation Raw Deal, a countrywide investigation of individuals suspected of participating in the illegal manufacture and distribution of anabolic steroids and other related substances. Since its implementation, 125 people all over the country have been arrested and slapped with criminal charges, including Scarpa.

Among those who searched his home in New Jersey included officers from the Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, Food and Drug Administration, and Postal Inspection Service. Agents found an underground fully operational steroid laboratory that was in “plain view” inside the house, locked inside the basement. Included in the steroid laboratory were various equipments for manufacturing anabolic steroids, as well as performance enhancing drugs used for bodybuilding.

According to the criminal complaint written FBI Special Agent, Bryan Lee Travers, the agents found, inside a cabinet, numerous plastic tubs filled with labeled, finished steroid products. They also found a clear plastic bag containing more than 10,000 tablets of what appeared to be steroid products—the appearance of which were consistent to the labeled steroid tablets that were seized in the home. In addition, they also discovered several large hand pumps affixed to large glass bottles filled with liquid. Law enforcement officers also discovered a centrifuge in the garage, which is typically used in the manufacturing process of anabolic steroids.

At his residence, officers seized approximately 400 milliliters of a liquid labeled Boldenone Undec, more than 10,000 milligrams of a product labeled Clomiphene Citrate, multiple vials of a liquid labeled Anadrol, multiple vials of a liquid labeled Stanozolol, approximately 240 milliliters of a liquid labeled Trenbolone Acetate, approximately 2000 milliliters of a liquid labeled Primobolan, multiple vials of a liquid labeled Nandrolone, and multiple vials of a liquid labeled Testosterone.

In addition, they also seized approximately 1.5 kilograms of raw steroid powders. Overall, they were able to seize over 40,000 dosage units of Anabolic Steroids. Aside from the anabolic steroids, law enforcers also seized two .40-caliber semiautomatic handguns. Before this case, Scarpa has already had brushes with the law; in 2003, he was convicted for conspiracy to distribute Ketamine in Union County and in 2000 he was convicted for distributing cocaine in Monmouth County.

Designer steroids arose as an alternative to traditional anabolic steroids, to avoid detection and testing positive during steroid drug tests. Designer steroids more or less function the same was as traditional anabolic steroids in terms of increasing strength and developing muscle, but are harder to detect using traditional testing methods. As the development and advancement of steroid detection gets more and more sophisticated, so is the production of synthetic steroids that cannot be detected by these newly created methods.

The first designer steroid

The Olympic Analytical Laboratory housed at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), first discovered the first known designer steroid in 2003. THG, short for tetrahydogestrinone, was detected using liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. Since that time, a lot of high-profile athletes have been discredited and several have had their athletic career ruined because they were found to be using THG. Thanks to the continued effort of anti-doping agencies and the aggressive campaign and movement against doping in the sports world, searching for new methods to detect designer steroids has become an important part of the agenda. However, because of the continuing rise of newer and more sophisticated designer steroids, more investment has to be given to research and development so that the anti-doping parties can move a step ahead the rogue scientists who invent these designer steroids.

How designer steroids remain undetected

Designer steroids do not show up in traditional drug testing methods such as a urinalysis because they do not leave any chemical traces that that the test is designed to look for. For example, steroids such as THG metabolize into estrogen and dihydrotestosterone or DHT, which is commonly associated to male baldness. Both of these compounds are found in the average human body, both male and female.

Detection of THG

It was in 2003 when Barry Bonds admitted to taking THG, the first designer drug. Although he did so unknowingly, was his claim. He said that it was his personal trainer who supplied him with flaxseed oil and arthritis cream, which turned out to be THG. However, it was not Barry Bonds that was first detected using designer steroids through a laboratory drug test. Also in 2003, a track and field coach anonymously sent a vial of clear liquid to UCLA’s Olympic Drug Testing Laboratory. With the vial came a suggestion that the chemists test it for an undetectable steroid. The chemists worked tested the liquid for months and later confirmed that it contained a form of steroid, THG, which was hard to detect. Soon after making this discovery, they used their new method for testing athletes that have passed the traditional drug test and discovered that many of their urine samples contained THG.

Fight against THG

What ensued after detecting several THG users among athletes was the sentencing of the people behind the manufacture and distribution of THG. The IRS and FDA raided BALCO (Bay Area Laboratory Cooperative), a suspected drug company that supplied nutritional supplements to athletes, and two years later, founder Victor Conte was sentenced to four months in prison and four months house arrest as a mastermind behind the THG conspiracy.

Bodybuilders and athletes who use steroids usually use two or more kinds of anabolic steroids at the same time to maximize the results of their cycle. This practice is called “stacking.” A lot of bodybuilders attest that stacking steroids is more effective in building muscles than just taking only one kind of steroid. Different kinds of anabolic steroids produce different effects in the body and when two different steroids are used, the user will gain the benefits that both steroids give. While steroid stacking has been proven to be more effective than just using one type of steroids, it also doubles or increases the harmful side effects and health risks.

To help minimize these risks and side effects, users usually stack other drugs that are not anabolic. To the first-time user, steroid stacking may be an overwhelming and daunting task. Below are simple guidelines on steroid stacking and cycling.

Stacking for more body mass

Stacking steroids is not as simple as merely combing two kinds of steroids and expecting to gain desirable results. Before stacking, you have to think about the goals that you want to achieve with the use of steroids. If you wish to gain more body mass, a potent combination could be two strong androgens such as Anadrol 50 and testosterone. However, because of its potency, this combination could produce harsh side effects and may be too much for the first-time user. In this case, a milder anabolic combined with a base androgen may be more desirable.

A stack of Dianabol and Decadurabolin can give significant increase in body mass but with less fat and water retention as well as unwanted side effects such as hair loss or hair growth, gynecomastia, and acne than the more potent combination of Anadrol 50 and testosterone.

Stacking during the diet phase

Anabolics are also typically used in the cutting or dieting phases of training because it has little tendency to convert to estrogen, which makes it harder to retain water and induce fat. However, the use of anabolic steroids can suppress the production of endogenous testosterone during a cycle and may thus sometime interfere with libido and aggression. During this state, the user may become unmotivated and depressed, reducing the quality and the comfort of the cycle. To counter this side effect, some users include in their stack some type of androgen such as Halotestin, Proviron, or Trenbolone. This also reduces the likelihood of water and fat retention.

The heightened androgen and the absence of excessive estrogen can enhance the removal of body fat and produce a look of density and hardness to the physique. To ward off any problems, a weekly shot of low dosage testosterone may be sufficient.

While stacking is a common practice, it is not absolutely necessary to take more than one anabolic steroid at a time. Take note that these are not meant to be professional medical advice and are merely guidelines and suggestions that may work for some individuals but not for others. Steroid stacking and cycling depends largely on experience as well as your body type and your sensitivities.

Spanish tennis superstar Rafael Nadal has expressed his support to the ongoing protest against the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority’s (ASADA) ultra-strict antidoping rules which go as far as keeping tabs on the whereabouts of athletes as well as their schedules. Some 60 athletes have brought their grievances against ASADA to Belgium’s high court on grounds that the antidoping rules constitute invasion of privacy.

In an interview Wednesday at the Australian Open, Rafael Nadal, who had just crushed Gilles Simon in the quarterfinals, agreed that the rules were a bit too harsh. Nadal said that ASADA’s rules “have to be changed completely,” as he considers them to be “an intolerable harassment”. The World’s Number 1 ranked tennis player added that athletes are unanimous in their stand that they have proven to be a clean sport.

ASADA had earlier revamped its anti doping monitoring system by requiring the top athletes, including the top-seeded tennis players, to inform antidoping authorities of their exact whereabouts for about one hour everday to facilitate anti doping testing. “We are humans,” Nadal was quoted as saying, pointing out that athletes should not be subjected to shuch rules that make them feel like they are “delinquents”. Under ASADA’s world anti doping code, all athletes who are subject to testing must submit a quarterly listing of their schedules for the next three months. Anti-doping authorities must be informed of any and all changes immediately. Nadal said this is totally excessive - having to send anti doping authorities or be overly concerned about some last minute changes.

ASADA claims these rules were created so that athletes could be tested in and out of comepetition, since some banned substances are known to exit the system within hours. ASADA and the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) deemed it necessary for athletes to be randomly tested at any time. ASADA is the Australian government statutory authority and is the country’s driving force in promoting dope-free sports. Its mission revolves on three key themes: deterring, detecting, and enforcing anti-doping policies.

According to its anti-doping rules, the presence of any prohibited substances as well as its metabolites or markers in any athlete’s bodily specimens are his responsibility and shall constitute an anti-doping rule violation.The ASADA also monitors for any attempted use of a banned substance or any other prohibited method - and considers it inconsequential if the attempt to take performance enhancing drugs was successful. The athlete will still be held liable for making the attempt.

Evading testing or refusing and failing to provide a urine or blood sample for anti doping tests is also considered a violation.

ASADA says all athletes are required to immediately submit samples after being directed by an anti-doping authority. This includes the much protested out-of competition testing, where athletes are required to provide details of their whereabouts. ASADA says these rules comply with the set International Standards for Testing. A combination of three missed tests or filing failures within an 18-month period will make the athlete’s case subject for review.

Texas Governor Rick Perry is of the opinion that steroid-use among teens is not a big problem in his state as shown in the results from extensive steroid testing programs in high schools across Texas. Perry suggests that lawmakers should consider scaling down the budget for, and scope of, steroid testing. The budget for steroid testing in Texas, as passed in 2007, amounts to $6 million for testing 50,000 athletes in public schools until the end of June 2009. So far, the first 10,000 steroid tests have revealed only four positives for steroid use. The second batch of results has not yet been disclosed, but was said to include football players.

The $6 million steroid testing program was one of Republican Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst’s top priorities in 2007, and Perry, who is also a Republican, signed the bill into law. It is the most expensive and largest steroid testing program for high schools in the country. The program enlists the aid of the National Center of Drug Free Sport who tests the athletes from various sports using urine samples. Male and female athletes are selected randomly to provide their urine sample.

Perry told the Associated Press that with the way the program is structured, it reveals that there is no large-scale steroid program in the state, and that on the surface, this is what 4 out of 10,000 is saying. He said that the program “may be a bit too much money” and too much work for the return.

The good news, Perry added, is that the program has showed that kids are not as “enthralled” with steroids and other performance enhancing drugs as some people seemed to think back in 2007. Perry also said that he does not have a problem with leaving some kind of program as a deterrent, in place of the existing (and expensive) one, asking “Do we need to test every kid in school?”

Don Hooton, anti-steroids crusader, disagrees with Perry and says that the results of the program may be a proof of its effectiveness in preventing high school kids from taking steroids. Hooton said that the program is not designed to tell whether there is a problem or not, but is designed to be a deterrent. With the low positive results, this may suggest that the program is perfectly working as it should be. Hooton believes that the low positive result is not necessarily a sign that the kids are not taking steroids.

It could mean that either the tests are deterring steroid use or that the tests are not sufficient enough since it only searches for 10 banned steroids. To support his claim, Hooton cited a study done by Texas A&M which showed that about 2 percent of high school students in Texas had used steroids. A similar study conducted by the University of Michigan in 2006 approximated steroid usage at 2.7 percent.

Hooton said that at this point, it is too early to conclude whether there is a problem or not. He is disappointed to see the stance of Governor Perry being taken before all the results from the field are in.

Even at 46, an age considered ancient in the world of boxing, Evander Holyfield is unrelenting. A former four-time boxing champion, Holyfield is on the hunt again for a fifth title belt, recently going against the 7-foot Russian Nikola Valuev—a fight which ended in a decision disputed by ringsiders. Holyfield vows that he will fight another fight, ready to catapult his name into the Hall of Fame. But more pressing matter persist which could ruin his name this late in his boxing career. Besides his age, Holyfield will have to worry about more damning issues such as his name being linked to the case of two pharmacists in Alabama who were indicted for selling and distributing steroids.

For the past week, Holyfield has been making headlines not for being a celebrated boxer but for being included in a list of names dropped in the middle of a steroid distribution scandal together with other top and well-known athletes from every field of the sports world. The Times Union in Albany reported that Evander Holyfield, under an alias, was included in the customer list at the Applied Pharmacy in Mobile Alabama—the same pharmacy which was raided by federal agents for selling and distributing anabolic steroids and other illegal performance enhancing drugs to athletes from various sports. While Holyfield has not been indicted or charged in the investigation, his name has already been linked to the scandal and like it or not, a form of damage has been done.

In a recent report, Holyfield revealed to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he may have unwittingly taken a drug that could have come from Applied Pharmacy sometime n 2004. He said that he took the drug to balance a hormonal problem—a problem that left him tired and overly fatigued at times—but that he stopped taking the drug after two or three tries because it did not work. Holyfield added that during that time when he was experiencing hormonal problems, somebody recommended to him that he contact a particular doctor who dealt with hormone drugs, who was based in South Georgia.

Holyfield said that he could not remember the name of the doctor but that he may have been associated with the pharmacy in question. Holyfield told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he didn’t know what the drug was, “hormonal something.” He said that all he knew was that the drug didn’t do anything so he stopped taking it. “They said, ‘Just keep taking it.’ And I said, ‘Why, it’s not doing anything?’ I lost to Larry Donald.”

Holyfield also revealed to the paper that right before he moved to heavyweight from cruiserweight in 1988, he was approached with taking steroids. The person who approached Holyfield told him that someone “high up” in the boxing world was taking steroids and that he should too. At that time steroids was not yet illegal in boxing. Holyfield told the person that he wasn’t going to do steroids because he wasn’t a cheater. At that time, he was the undisputed cruiserweight champion and he was also in the Olympics. If I took steroids, Holyfield said that people would say that he cheated at everything. The person then told him that Mike Tyson (former heavyweight champion) was doing it. Holyfield then said, “’I don’t care if Tyson is doing it, I’m not.”