Police Find a $5 Million Anabolic Steroid Laboratory Near Oscar Pistorius Former Pretoria Home

Just a short walk from Oscar Pistorius luxurious former house in Eastern Pretoria, police just uncovered a huge underground steroid laboratory (UGL) with an estimated $5.3 million worth of anabolic steroids and performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs). The proximity of the two is most certainly a coincidence. However, it shows that steroid UGLs are big business that can afford their operators an affluent lifestyle that allows them to live next to highly-paid elite athletes.

Security is tight at the Anni-Pad complex in the suburbs of the South African city of Pretoria. Residents of the affluent neighborhood take comfort in the 24-hour CCTV security cameras and security guards to keep people out. Except in this case, the security guards invited police into the complex to investigate one of its own.

The security guard noticed a very strong and offensive odor emanating from a three-bedroom townhouse in the Anni-Pad complex (located next to the Silver Woods Country Estate where Pistorius lived). The guard contacted an officer with the Boschkop Police Station.

Captain Marissa van der Merwe, a spokesperson for the Boschkop Police, explained how the steroid bust happened.

“A member of Boschkop police station was driving around the Silver Lakes area when a security guard at one of the complexes stopped him and asked for assistance,” according to van der Merwe.

The Boschkop Police found two men suspected of manufacturing anabolic steroids in a makeshift underground laboratory located in their residence. Significant quantities of anabolic steroids and steroid paraphernalia were found in the house and in the garage. An Egyptian national and a South African national were arrested.

While some anabolic steroids are known to have distinctive odors (e.g. trenbolone), the manufacturing of steroids is not typically known to produce offensive smells. However, some “super solvents” have been reported to leave very strong and lingering chemical odors. For example, the super solvent guaiacol is sometimes used by homebrewers who want to create super-concentrated versions of steroids  that are traditionally only available in low concentrations such as testosterone propionate or trenbolone acetate.

Police seized at least 20 boxes full of unused pill capsules, medical packaging, vials, grape seed oil and benzyl benzoate. Specific steroids identified by police included “Primo 100” (methenolone enanthate), Andrex (testosterone undecanoate) and Testoviron (a testosterone blend).

The two suspected UGL operators are facing charges of fraud an contravention of the South African Medicines and Related Substances Control by illicitly manufacturing and distributing Schedule V anabolic steroids. They are suspected of being a small part of a much large steroid-distributing syndicate.

They are scheduled to appear in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on June 2, 2014.

Source:

Van Zuydam, L. (May 30, 2014). R20m steroid lab raid. Retrieved from //www.iol.co.za/news/crime-courts/r20m-steroid-lab-raid-1.1696252