236
powder into pills or injectable liquid and
sell conversion kits for doing so at home.
435
Transactions were arranged through the dealer
s’ encrypted email ad
dresses to avoid law
enforcement scrutiny.
436
Buyers paid for the substances by
wire transfer or by mailing cash to
post office boxes.
437
The illegal drugs were then sent
to the buyers through the mail or using
overnight delivery services.
438
Transactions in which dealers obtained the raw st
eroid powder from overseas
suppliers also frequently were
arranged over the internet.
439
The drug dealers caught in
Operation Raw Deal obtained raw steroid powder
primarily from companies based in China;
(S.D. Cal.), ¶¶ 4-5, 14 (d/b/a American Ph
armaceuticals Incorporated); Indictment,
United States
v. Hullander
, No. 07 CR 2577 (S.D. Cal.), ¶¶ 4-5, 8 (d/b/a Tweak Labs); Indictment,
United States v. Lupico
, No. 07 CR 2579 (S.D. Cal.), ¶¶ 4-5, 16 (d/b/a AKA Pharmaceuticals).
435
See
Press Release, Drug Enforcement
Administration, DEA Announces Largest
Steroid Enforcement Action in U.S.
History (Sept. 24, 2007), at 2;
see also
Amy Shipley,
Agents
Arrest 124 in Drug Raids; With Eye on Hos
ting Olympics, China Cooperates With DEA
, Wash.
Post, Sept. 24, 2007, at E1.
436
See
Indictment,
United States v. Russo, et al.
, No. 07 CR 2582 (S.D. Cal.), ¶¶ 10-11,
16 (d/b/a American Pharmaceuticals Incorporated); Indictment,
United States v. Lupico
, No. 07
CR 2579 (S.D. Cal.), ¶ 10 (d/b/a AKA Pharmaceuticals).
437
See
Indictment,
United States v. Smith, et al.
, No. 07 CR 2580 (S.D. Cal.), ¶ 17 (d/b/a
US Pharmaceuticals); Indictment,
United States v. Russo, et al.
, No. 07 CR 2582 (S.D. Cal.),
¶ 19 (d/b/a American Pharmaceutic
als Incorporated); Indictment,
United States v. Hullander
, No.
07 CR 2577 (S.D. Cal.), ¶ 10 (d/b/a Tweak Labs); Indictment,
United States v. Lupico
, No. 07
CR 2579 (S.D. Cal.), ¶ 18 (d/b/a AKA Pharmaceuticals); Indictment,
United States v. Jin, et al.
,
No. 07 CR 121-01ML (D.R.I.), ¶¶ 19, 28-29, 32-34.
438
See
Indictment,
United States v. Russo, et al.
, No. 07 CR 2582 (S.D. Cal.), ¶¶ 17-18
(d/b/a American Pharmaceuticals Incorporated); Indictment,
United States v. Jin, et al.
, No. 07
CR 121-01ML (D.R.I.), ¶¶ 26, 30, 35.
439
See
Indictment,
United States v. Smith, et al.
, No. 07 CR 2580 (S.D. Cal.), ¶¶ 11-12
(d/b/a US Pharmaceuticals); Indictment,
United States v. Hullander
, No. 07 CR 2577 (S.D. Cal.),
¶¶ 4-7 (d/b/a Tweak Labs); Indictment,
United States v. Lupico
, No. 07 CR 2579 (S.D. Cal.),
¶¶ 12-15 (d/b/a AKA Pharmaceuticals); Indictment,
United States v. Jin, et al.
, No. 07 CR 121-
01ML (D.R.I.), ¶¶ 17-18.
See also
David Barboza and Duff Wilson,
Complaint Offers Window
on Chinese Drug Ring
, N.Y. Times, Sept. 28, 2007, at C1.