Possession vs Trafficking - Steroids Source Talk

01dragonslayer · #1 (**permalink**) 01-03-2023, 01:46 AM

I am not promoting this attorney this is for information purposes only The contact info was left in to give credit to the source. It is not mine.

STEROID POSSESSION AND TRAFFICKING

The difference between being charged with possession of anabolic/androgenic steroids versus being charged on possession with intent to distribute can mean the difference between simply getting probation compared to going to prison for several years. In the United States criminal justice system, drug traffickers are treated much, much more harshly than drug users, who typically do not face jail time on a first offense. With street narcotics, prosecutors and law enforcement officers can easily discern between trafficking amounts and personal usage amounts. However, steroid users do not follow the purchasing and usage patterns of narcotics users, which combined with the lack of knowledge on anabolic/androgenic steroids of prosecutors and law enforcement, leads to users of steroids being arrested and charged as traffickers of steroids.

Possession of a so-called a large quantity of anabolic steroids allows prosecutors to determine that a possessor was also engaged in trafficking/selling steroids as well. This is a mistake that can (and should) be pointed out by an experienced criminal defense attorney. While a typical cocaine or heroin user might purchase only enough of their drug of choice for a week, the typical steroid user will often purchase several different drugs (testosterone, winstrol, human growth hormone, etc…) in a quantity that could be used over the course of 12-24 weeks. This is not conjecture, and has been conclusively established in peer-reviewed medical journals and via both national and international surveys.

In addition, the amount of steroids required to successfully compete as a bodybuilder in the professional or even amateur ranks might be two to three times the amount used by a non-competitive weightlifter. This means that competitors who use anabolic/androgenic steroids are more likely to be charged with trafficking for their personal usage.

This is why it’s imperative that you have a criminal defense lawyer who is familiar with all of the current research on steroid use patterns and dosing strategies.

Also important is the concentration of the steroids themselves, as well as their presentation. It is not inconceivable that one user might purchase 1,000 Dianabol tablets at five milligram potency for use in a single bulking cycle. However, to a law enforcement officer who has prior experience with Ecstasy busts, seeing 1,000 pink pentagon-shaped tablets, or blue hearts, this could look like a big-time dealer’s supply. The reality is that a heavy cycle of Dianabol could have a person taking 10-20 of these tablets each day.

In the case of testosterone and its esters, police officers have busted professional bodybuilders with ten or twenty vials in their possession, and thought they had found a major dealer, not understanding that some bodybuilders can fly through a bottle every week, if not every other day. Most prosecutors and law enforcement officers don’t understand the difference between testosterone cypionate and testosterone propionate; they don’t understand how long 20 ampules (‘amps’) of test prop will last versus 20 amps of test cyp. Again, this is why it is so important to have a criminal defense lawyer who understands the distinctions between the various anabolic/androgenic steroids that are on the market.

You don’t want to be treated like a steroid dealer for your personal stash…but unfortunately that’s just what can happen if you don’t educate yourself and go to court with a criminal defense lawyer who is thouroughly versed in this area and can present the strongest possible case on your behalf.