Fernando Reis, the mastermind behind the underground lab Azorian World Order as well as a large-scale British Dragon counterfeit operation, pleaded guilty to 15 counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking, trafficking and importing anabolic steroids and prescription drugs into Canada. Reis was sentenced on March 6, 2009 to time served and two years probation. The Azorian World Order (AWO), the “defender of the free world,” was the umbrella company of a multi-million dollar underground Canadian steroid lab and steroid counterfeit operation.
Azorian World Order (AWO) did not sell steroids under its own label but sold them under the labels of various other underground labs. Fernando Reis counterfeited steroid labels that were already well-established on the black market such as British Dragon. Reis may have manufactured anabolic steroid products for various underground labs (UGLs) throughout Canada such as Teragon Labs and Oropharma Labs. It is unclear whether Reis supplied these UGLs with product or simply counterfeited them. Fernando Reis also produced fake Pfizer Viagra medications. He also counterfeited various supplement brands, such as Andro Technologies and Future Nutrition, and sold them to health and fitness stores in Canada.
Ashley Vincent Livingston, better known as Redicat in the world of black market androgens, was extradited to the United States for prosecution last Tuesday after spending eight months in a Thailand jail. Redicat was taken into custody by Thai police last March 2008, along with British Dragon co-founder Edwin Richard Crawley, in Pattaya (Thailand) as part of an international sting operation involving the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). During his detention in Thai jail, he allegedly cooperated fully with Thai police in response to torture providing law enforcement with extensive information about his customers and business associates (”Spilling the beans on the Big Thai Bust,” December 14).
- Access to 10 years of complete order records.
- A list of bribes and gifts given to various board moderators [which included free product, Rolex watches and cash].
- Details of payments to various bodybuilding forums for banner ads and other forms of online advertising.
- Statements detailing purchases of stock made from well known suppliers and manufacturers.
Redicat was officially arrested on December 9, 2008 by U.S. Marshall Special Agent Jason Sherrell upon arriving at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on a flight from Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport. His extradition was delayed by the Thailand airport closures at the end of November.
Ashley Livingston was transferred to a facility in Seattle, Washington where awaits trial facing multiple steroid distribution, steroid conspiracy and money laundering charges along with his co-conspirator Edwin Crawley in the United States District Court in the Western District of Washington as part of massive Operation Raw Deal investigation. Read more
William Llewellyn and Ashley Vincent Livingston have been both involved in the underground anabolic steroid market for over a decade. Llewellyn chose a legal path writing and reporting on the illicit androgen market whereas Livingston (better known as Redicat) chose to participate as a producer and distributor of anabolic steroids sold on the black market. Redicat was responsible for the introduction of “Paper Anabolics” that was explicitly created to pass undetected through customs controls into the United States.
In August 2000 Redi Cat announced on the boards that the new steroid revolution had come about in the shape of Paper Anabolics – a concept first discussed between Redi Cat’s associate and the late steroid guru, Dan Duchaine.
Redicat purportedly made millions of dollars in his chosen profession manufacturing and distributing PaperBol (Methandienone), PaperStrol (Stanazolol), PaperDrol (Oxymetholone), PaperVar (Oxandrolone), PaperHalo (fluoxymesterone), PaperPrimo (methenolone), etc. He was arrested in Thailand after a major international bust that involved the British Dragon cofounder Edwin Crawley in March 2008.
Bodybuilding brothers Justin and Jonathan DeProspo are being sentenced this month for their role in distributing anabolic steroids and human growth hormone manufactured by British Dragon and IP aka International Pharmaceuticals (”Brothers receiving prison sentences for steroid distribution,” May 20).
According to court documents, their case was apparently part of a larger ongoing investigation of the “British Dragon Anabolic Steroid Manufacturing and Distribution Organization” by federal investigators. Clearly, the recently arrested founder of British Dragon has been on the steroid most wanted list for some time. Read more
In the aftermath of the British Dragon and Redicat steroid bust in Thailand, steroid sources in the Southeast Asian country continue to face disruptions in their steroid distribution efforts (”Customs uncover ‘huge’ steroids stash,” April 1).
More than 2000 vials of a banned steroid have been found by Customs officials inside a parcel sent to Sydney from Thailand.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the steroid seizure by customs in February has resulted in ongoing steroid busts in Sydney Australia (”Steroids found in Thai parcel: customs,” April 1).
Customs officers at Australia Post’s Gateway Facility in Sydney found the 2,378 ampoules of Sustanon 250, Stanozol and Nandrolone in plastic bags after examining a parcel from Thailand said to contain glass figures…
After finding the drugs in the mail on February 19, Customs investigators executed search warrants on premises in south-western Sydney last Friday and seized evidentiary material.
Investigations into the major steroid seizure are continuing.
Customs national manager for investigations, Richard Janezcko, said the agency was “continuing to detect and investigate increased attempts to smuggle prohibited and restricted performance enhancing drugs into Australia”.
Australia’s war on steroids is one of the most aggressive in the world, perhaps even more draconian than the efforts by the United States.
Two of the best-known and most successful internet sources of anabolic steroids have been arrested at a Pattaya seaside resort in Thailand as part of an international sting operation requested by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) via the Mutual Legal and Assistance Treaty (MLAT) between the United States and Thailand. They will be extradited to the United States on “charges of using the Internet to illegally export steroids to the United States” (”Two Britons arrested in Thailand after sting operation: police,” March 21)
Police gave the names of the two detained men as Ashly Vincent Livingston, 45, and Edwin Richard Crawly, 44. They were arrested in a sting operation involving US anti-drug agents, police said.
Edwin Richard Crawly (aka Ox) and Ashly Vincent Livingston (Redicat) are the founders of British Dragon. Thai authorities have told the media that the two Britons did not do anything illegal in Thailand. Consequently, they face no charges in Thailand. Read more
James Edward Moore, Jr., was indicted for importation of anabolic steroids and possession with intent to distribute anabolic steroids on February 27, 2008. Moore admitted to ordering steroids from IP China sending money via Western Union on at least six occasions to Zhijum He of China. The charges listed in Moore’s indictment were based on thousands of vials and ampules of steroids and thousands of steroid tablets found at Moore’s residence, storage lockers, and three intercepted packages linked to Moore.
The investigation of Moore began in late August 2007 when the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) opened an incoming package addressed to Jimmy Moore, Jr.; the steroid shipment was sent via International Express Mail by Sany Zeng of Chungsa, Hunan (China).
A second incoming package from China on October 22, 2007 was examined by federal authorities under an anticipatory search warrant. This International Express Mail shipment contained various anabolic steroids and growth hormone, including products labelled Test 400, British Dragon Trenabol Depot, Primobolan QV 100, Teston QV 200, and HGH marked Getropin 10IU Recombinant Human Growth Hormone.
The third incoming package was ordered from AlinShop and shipped by Gore Elena from the Moldova Republic. It contained eight 5mL sachets containing testosterone cypionate and eight sachets containing testosterone enanthate. All sachets were marked “Aromathekaypoil.”
Moore waived his Miranda Rights and told investigators he sold the anabolic steroids primarily to bodybuilders at the Santa Cruz Gold’s Gym and used them for personal medical problems e.g. “to fix his hormone levels.” He reported that he was disabled due to cardiomyopathy and kidney problems. Due to the sheer quantity of anabolic steroids discovered during the steroid bust, the Gold’s Gym in Santa Cruz has the most “jacked” bodybuilders in the country.
Moore resided at a house for recovering drug and alcohol addicts where he was manager and caretaker of the facility.
