'The doping trade is a mafia, pure and simple'
source: http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,733801,00.html#ref=rss
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Andreas Holzer: That the doping trade is a globally networked business comparable to the drug trade -- a mafia, pure and simple.
SPIEGEL: In October, your unit was involved in "Operation Pangea," a major raid in 45 countries that netted 76 suspects and illegal medications with a total market value of roughly $2.6 million (€2 million). Where does it all come from?
Holzer: Many compounds come from China, India or Pakistan, where production is cheap and no one gives any thought to the fact that the production process alone can be hazardous to your health. The active ingredients are sold by online suppliers -- often through illegal online pharmacies -- and are shipped via airmail.
SPIEGEL: Are there inspections of these shipments?
Holzer: There are. But, owing to the sheer volume of mail -- and the fact that drugs are disguised within ordinary-looking packages -- without any concrete leads, it's difficult to pick out any suspicious packages.
SPIEGEL: Where do the drugs finally end up?
Holzer: The dealers are often based in Europe -- and that's where the real business gets started. It isn't the manufacturers of the raw ingredients that are making the big profits: rather, it's the producers -- that is, the people who mix the substances in laboratories, fill the finished product into vials and capsules, label them and distribute them around the world.
SPIEGEL: How big are the profits?
Holzer: Average production costs for a package of anabolic steroids run around 50 cents; and then it's sold for €35 to €40. We arrested a dealer in Austria who had made about €2 million in four years' time. Even I am surprised by these kinds of figures.
Holzer: You shouldn't be imagining scenes involving doctors or chemists in white coats handling test tubs in a laboratory. In fact, it looks much more like the production of methamphetamines in meth labs, where the drugs are cooked up over a Bunsen burner.
SPIEGEL: In October, your unit was involved in "Operation Pangea," a major raid in 45 countries that netted 76 suspects and illegal medications with a total market value of roughly $2.6 million (€2 million). Where does it all come from?
Holzer: Many compounds come from China, India or Pakistan, where production is cheap and no one gives any thought to the fact that the production process alone can be hazardous to your health. The active ingredients are sold by online suppliers -- often through illegal online pharmacies -- and are shipped via airmail.
SPIEGEL: Are there inspections of these shipments?
Holzer: There are. But, owing to the sheer volume of mail -- and the fact that drugs are disguised within ordinary-looking packages -- without any concrete leads, it's difficult to pick out any suspicious packages.
SPIEGEL: Where do the drugs finally end up?
Holzer: The dealers are often based in Europe -- and that's where the real business gets started. It isn't the manufacturers of the raw ingredients that are making the big profits: rather, it's the producers -- that is, the people who mix the substances in laboratories, fill the finished product into vials and capsules, label them and distribute them around the world.
SPIEGEL: How big are the profits?
Holzer: Average production costs for a package of anabolic steroids run around 50 cents; and then it's sold for €35 to €40. We arrested a dealer in Austria who had made about €2 million in four years' time. Even I am surprised by these kinds of figures.
Holzer: You shouldn't be imagining scenes involving doctors or chemists in white coats handling test tubs in a laboratory. In fact, it looks much more like the production of methamphetamines in meth labs, where the drugs are cooked up over a Bunsen burner.
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