International Law Enforcement Operation Targets Underground Manufacture of Anaboli...( 'Operation Raw Deal' Nets 124 Arr...),Health

'Operation Raw Deal' Nets 124 Arrests Nationwide To Date

WASHINGTON, Sept. 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Authorities have arrested more than 124 individuals in the United States on federal charges as the result of an international investigation targeting the illegal manufacturing and trafficking of anabolic steroids and its raw materials, mainly from China, along with the human growth hormone (HGH) and the insulin growth factor (IGF) markets, the Department of Justice announced today.

These law enforcement operations were the result of Operation Raw Deal, the largest steroid enforcement action in U.S. history. The nearly two-year-old operation, which culminated in a series of law enforcement actions last week, was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), working with federal law enforcement officials from the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Office of Criminal Investigations, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and others. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS), U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC) also played key roles in Operation Raw Deal. The multi-jurisdictional Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation was coordinated by prosecutors from the Criminal Division's Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section assigned to the Special Operations Division. The U.S. operation took place in conjunction with enforcement operations in Mexico, Canada, China, Belgium, Australia, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, and Thailand.

Since Operation Raw Deal began in December 2005, 143 federal search warrants were executed on targets nationwide, resulting in 124 arrests and the seizure of 56 steroid labs across the United States. In total, 11.4 million steroid dosage units were seized, as well as 242 kilograms of raw steroid powder of Chinese origin. As part of Operation Raw Deal, $6.5 million was also seized, as well as 25 vehicles, three boa
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