HRT Co. busted??

[THA GONZ]

Got this from another board...........

Deerfield firm suspected of selling mislabeled hormones, steroids over the web

By Rafael A. Olmeda
Staff Writer
Posted February 17 2005

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/lo...la-news-broward


Federal agents who raided a Deerfield Beach drug company Tuesday were looking for mislabeled human-growth hormones and anabolic steroids sold without valid prescriptions, according to search warrants released by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Miami on Wednesday.

Undercover investigators from the Food and Drug Administration went onto the Internet Web site of PowerMedica last summer and ordered Stanozolol , an anabolic steroid , according to an affidavit accompanying the search warrants. The package arrived at a FDA agent's address with instructions and an invoice, including a form indicating that the steroid was prescribed by Dr. Abi Almarashi.

The FDA agent, Julie Pohutsky, never visited or met with anyone by that name, or anyone else with PowerMedica at the time, according to the affidavit.

Acting undercover, Pohutsky later bought Nandrolone Decanoate, another anabolic steroid, without seeing a doctor or obtaining a prescription, the affidavit states. She then called PowerMedica, met with a representative named Tony Jones, and arranged to purchase the human-growth hormone (hGH) Genotropin, which is approved by the FDA for treating pediatric growth hormone deficiency. Agents claim PowerMedica sold it to Pohutsky as an anti-aging product.

"Pohutsky stated that she was interested in hGH to look and feel younger and to get into better physical shape," the affidavit states.

According to the affidavit, Dr. Abdul Almarashi was listed as the prescribing physician, even though Pohutsky never met him. According to the Florida Department of Health, there is no Abdul or Abi Almarashi with a license to practice medicine anywhere in Florida.

The documents were released late in the day. Earlier, PowerMedica CEO Daniel L. Dailey said he did not know what investigators were seeking, or who their source of information was.

"The only thing that would make sense is there is a disgruntled employee making claims about us, or this is part of a steroid witch hunt," he said, adding that the company does make steroids, but only gives them out with prescriptions. Through its Internet site, PowerMedica serves clients all across the country, he said.

"I don't know why we've been singled out," he said. "I've been told by our attorneys that we're in full compliance with the law."

The affidavit indicates that a "cooperating private individual" who is not a federal agent joined the investigation earlier this month, confirming suspicions that PowerMedica was importing human-growth hormones from China, using the name of a Dr. Almarashi as the prescribing physician on "the majority of prescriptions."

The information provided by that witness helped officials intercept two packages of the hormone intended for PowerMedica at a postal facility in Deerfield Beach.

Federal agents ended up seizing boxes of the hormones and steroids, 16 file cabinets containing prescription information, and a letter from a law firm to PowerMedica referring to personal injuries.

U.S. Attorney's spokesman Carlos Castillo declined to comment on the significance of the letter, or to answer any other questions.

Attempts to reach Dailey after the documents were released were unsuccessful

[Aboot]

Repost!

[BajanBastard]

Good to see the war on weapons of mass construction going so well

[THA GONZ]

My Bad, didn't see the original post.