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Anabolic Research Update Nov 2003 |
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Written by William Llewellyn
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Monday, 10 November 2003 |
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Page 1 of 2
Underground Steroids There is no question about it. Anabolic steroids are big business. The demand for these drugs has grown tremendously in the past decade or so, ballooning a once languishing segment of the international drug market. Mexico, for example, which had an essentially dead steroid industry just 10 years ago, is now amid an unprecedented growth explosion in steroids. Many established companies in this country are actually specializing in them now, and numerous new companies are popping up with steroid manufacturing in mind, not just in Mexico, but all around the world. Millions of dollars are spent on these drugs each week, and everyone seems to want to cash in on the new anabolic gold rush. But “everyone” seems to include more than just legitimate drug companies these days. This month I’d like to take an up-close look at an ultra-clandestine and rapidly growing segment of the steroid business— underground manufacturing. Underground manufacturers are everywhere these days and are producing a lot more of the available drugs than you think. But in a market flooded with underdosed fakes and outright rip-offs, should we be supporting this “illegitimate” segment of the industry? Big BucksAn underground steroid manufacturer is a company that operates illegally to produce drugs for sale specifically to athletes on the black market. Underground manufacturers are not counterfeiters per se, as they rarely duplicate the packaging of real drug companies and they do use real steroids to make their products. The focus is usually on inventing a whole new drug company and trying to establish it in the marketplace as a reputable operation. These businesses all start the same way. An enterprising individual sees all the money being thrown around for steroids and decides he can make more money manufacturing these drugs than simply dealing in them. And more money can be quite an understatement. Below is a price list for bulk raw materials from an overseas steroid supply company. As you can see, if someone were to obtain a single kilogram of raw methandrostenolone powder, he could produce 2,000 bottles (5mg X 100 tablets) at a cost of only two dollars each. Sold at $75 a pop, the finished inventory has a value of $150,000. That is 3,700 percent of the initial $4,000, a tremendous return on the investment. Get away with this a few times and you are making some serious money. Raw Materials Price List Ethylestrenol $9,900/kgMethenolone $18,000/kgMethandrostenolone $4,000/kgMethyltestosterone $1,150/kgNandrolone decanoate $4,800/kgOxandrolone $27,000/kgOxymetholone $4,000/kgStanozolol $4,600/kgTestosterone $1,900/kgTestosterone Propionate $2,500/kgTrenbolone $23,000/kg An Old IndustryUnderground steroids are not at all a new phenomenon. In fact, these operations have been around for as long as there has been a steroid market to speak of. What is new is the tremendous explosion in underground manufacturing that we are in the middle of right now. Below, I have listed over 20 underground companies that have operated in the past few years, and this is just the tip of the iceberg. There are certainly many more of them. The Internet, and the ease with which it puts people in different countries in contact with each other, has probably fueled a lot of this. Ten years ago, if you wanted to find bulk steroid materials you’d have to do quite a bit of hunting around to locate companies making them. Considering that most steroid manufacturing is done in China, finding even a single one was not an easy proposition. But today you can find these bulk suppliers on Yahoo with little more than a few keystrokes. No doubt this has eased the way for many of the companies operating right now.
The Companies
Alpha-TechThis is an underground American lab that had a popular line of tablets for a short period of time, including 5mg methandrostenolone, 50mg oxymetholone and 50mg stanozolol tablets. Alpha-Tech is now out of business, reportedly due to intervention from law enforcement.
Black LabelBlack Label is an underground lab in the U.S. that specializes in injectables that come in very high doses. Products include boldenone undecylenate, testosterone enanthate and nandrolone decanoate, as well as orals such as oxymetholone and stanozolol. All injectables reportedly come in 15ml vials.
Blue Diamond LabsBlue Diamond is a Canadian underground lab that makes a line of oral and injectable steroids, including a 100mg/ml 50ml trenbolone acetate.
Europa Quality LabsEQL is another new manufacturer reportedly operating somewhere in the U.S. It produces a line of high-dose injectables including a 400mg/ml vial of testosterone enanthate and an oil-based stanozolol suspension. G.A.R.D.G.A.R.D. Pharmaceuticals is an underground manufacturer that’s reportedly based somewhere in the U.K. They make some pretty odd combination products including T.T.S.-150, which contains Trenbolone acetate 50mg, Testosterone 50mg and Stanozolol 50mg/ml in a 20ml vial, and E.P.C.400, which is a 400mg/ml blend of different testosterone esters.
Gen-MedGen-Med makes a line of oral steroids and ancillary drugs including Nolvadex, Arimidex, Clomid and methandrostenolone.
Generic SupplementsGeneric Supplements is a popular underground steroid manufacturer in Western Europe. It makes both oral and injectable products, including odd items like 50mcg clenbuterol tablets and the spot-reduction agent HELIOS (injectable clenbuterol/yohimbine). GS has a very good reputation at this time.
Genisis LaboritoriesGenisis Laboritories (incorrectly spelled on the label) is another Canadian Underground manufacturer. I have seen injectable products from this line, but no orals as yet. It’s probably not a very large operation and may even be out of operation.
GlobalGlobal is supposedly the new name for the Jenaka line, which was discontinued recently. This is a reputable and highly regarded underground lab in Canada. This firm is making several products at this time, including testosterone propionate, testosterone cypionate, nandrolone phenylpropionate, nandrolone decanoate and methandrostenolone.
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