By Millard Baker
Jordan Berza and Christopher Gass, the owners of Planet Nutrition, have seen business boom at their sports nutrition and smoothie stores. The entrepreneurs have opened three corporately-owned stores over the past few years and have franchised fifteen additional store throughout Louisiana. Business has been good. Unfortunately, they both appear headed to prison for their involvement with an illegal underground lab (UGL) that manufactured anabolic steroids.
The business partners both pleaded guilty to the conspiracy to distribute anabolic steroids and money laundering charges in June 2011. They were among thirteen co-defendants named in a federal indictment.
The steroid trafficking organization was uncovered by an investigation codenamed “Cajun Rage”. The steroid distribution ring operated primarily in Louisiana and Texas. The UGL sold as many as 7,000 10-milliliter vials of injectable anabolic steroids and imported 35 kilograms of raw steroid steroid powder from China and Germany.
United States District Judge Patricia Minaldi sentenced Gass to 18 months imprisonment and a $2000 fine for his involvement. Berza is scheduled to be sentenced on October 27, 2011.
Planet Nutrition was allegedly used as a distribution point for the distribution of UGL steroids. Berza reportedly shipped steroids to his distributors from the store.
Law enforcement seized approximately $93,000 primarily from accounts owned by Gass and Berza. Police alleged that all of the monies represented proceeds from steroid sales.
All other co-defendants in the case (except for one) have been sentenced to prison. Bryce Meaux, who admitted to being the mastermind behind the steroid operation, received the harshest sentence of 2 years imprisonment and a $3000 fine. Co-defendants in the case had faced up to 10 years in prison.
Berza’s defense attorney Todd Clemons told the press that “nobody was harmed by the use of these steroids.” However, Assistant United States Attorney Collin Sims argued that such a viewpoint represented ignorance of the nature of steroid side effects.
“One such gentleman, who was a co-conspirator in this case, is on hormone therapy because he can’t produce enough testosterone naturally,” according to AUSA Sims. ” So his estrogen levels are high and he has a complete hormone imbalance as a result of abusing steroids.”
Unfortunately, the United States has chosen to treat steroid use and abuse as a legal problem rather than a medical problem. Consequently, the government makes little effort at steroid harm reduction which could help users avoid such negative consequences from the use of steroids.
