Canada:
A verdict was already given to Joao Melo, the owner of a health and supplement store in Canada. In our follow up on the case, the court gave him a conditional discharge and 18 months probation. He was also required to write a public letter to a local community newspaper outlining the dangers of taking steroids. Aside from his probation, Melo was fined by Revenue Canada for $5,000 undeclared income. This was the assessed value of the steroid sales which were not entered into the cash register. Other conditions includes keeping the peace, appearing before the court when required, notifying the court or probation officer before changing addresses or employment and completing 20 hours of community service by Dec. 31, 2009.The charges against Melo’s wife was dropped.

The arrest of Melo last year was based on the buy bust operation conducted by police officers who purchased steroids from his store. He sold M1T or methyl-1-testosterone, a product of Andro Technologies. The authorities were alarmed when some informants told them that Melo was selling this testosterone to young teens and ordinary people who are not even doing some workouts in the gyms. Based on court documents, Melo and Tran were selling and found in possession of a controlled substance which is a derivative of an anabolic steroid for the purposes of trafficking.

It was noted in the decision of the provincial court judge that steroids can cause serious health problems especially to young kids. Judge Carol Baird Ellan also added that it can also distort societal expectation of what really a healthy body should look like. But Judge Ellan did not consider steroids as harmful as heroin and cocaine. The length of probation was also based on the quantity of steroids seized from the store which were considered relatively small.

Australia:
Meanwhile, a man was charged in Australia for an attempt to smuggle more than 1,300 steroid vials in his suitcase. According to customs officials, a 19-year-old Lebanese man was trying to smuggle steroids after flying from Dubai to Sydney. Based on the laboratory results, the vials contain the performance and image enhancing substance testosterone. The suspect will appear in the Downing Centre Local Court on September 15. The man could face a maximum penalty of 5 years in jail and a fine of $110,000 for illegal importation of prohibited goods.

The spokesperson of customs, Richard Janeczko said that they intensifying the crackdown on illegal importation of prohibited substances. “This detection sends a warning to those seeking to avoid Customs controls that we have the skills and capability to detect and investigate these matters and prosecute those responsible,” he said.

Switzerland:
In Switzerland, authorities reported an increase in the amount of anabolic steroids being confiscated which doubled in 2008 as compared to the data in 2007. These could be attributed to the increase in the amateurs who want to build muscle and enhance their performance in sports. Swiss customs continue to step up their campaign against illegal entry of these substances. They regularly use sniffer dogs to go through mails at the Swiss postal service’s sorting centre in Mülligen near Zurich. As of this year, they already confiscated 130 packages containing class-A drugs and other counterfeit items.

United States:
In Massachusetts, one of the cases in the Operation Phony Pharm was already decided by Senior United States District Judge Ellen Bree Burns. The accused, John Pauline of Dartmouth, Massachusetts was given 3 years of probation. He was also required to be in home confinement for the first 6 months and ordered to perform 150 hours of community service. John Pauline pleaded guilty earlier this year for selling anabolic steroids. He purchased steroid powder from China and then manufactures it into steroid pills. He used the internet to market his anabolic steroid.

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