http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/breaking-news/index.ssf/2009/11/attorney_general_tom_corbett_a.htmlPennsylvania Attorney General agents arrest 10 in steroid ring in Lehigh Valley, Harrisburg - UPDATE
By Express-Times staff
November 24, 2009, 12:01PM
Pennsylvania Attorney General narcotics agents today arrested 10 people for their alleged involvement in the manufacturing, use and distribution of steroids in Northampton, Lehigh, Dauphin and Cumberland counties.
The investigation, dubbed “Operation Roid Runner,” began in the fall of 2007 and revealed that since 2004, the defendants allegedly brought more than $170,000 worth of steroids into Pennsylvania from China and Mexico.
Attorney General Thomas Corbett announced the arrests of the following people at a news conference this morning in Lemoyne, Pa.:
* Christopher Niemczyk, 31, 1013 Old Course Lane, Williams Township, is charged with four counts of delivery of steroids, one count of possession with intent to deliver steroids, one count of possession with intent to deliver ecstasy, one count of possession of drug paraphernalia, one count of misbranding Ketamine and one count of criminal conspiracy.
* Marcus Lazaro, 29, 123 Somerset St., Freemansburg, is charged with three counts of delivery of steroids, two counts of possession with intent to deliver steroids, two counts of criminal conspiracy, two counts of dealing in the proceeds of an unlawful activity, one count of manufacturing steroids and one count of possession of drug paraphernalia.
* John Sassaman, 51, 1803 Stratford Court, Salisbury Township, is charged with four counts of delivery of steroids and one count of criminal conspiracy.
* Chad Gillespie, 33, 740 Fourth St., Catasauqua, is charged with two counts of criminal conspiracy, one count of possession with intent to deliver steroids, one count of manufacturing steroids and one count of dealing in proceeds of an unlawful activity.
* George Koufalis, 34, 2158 Woodridge Drive, Lower Macungie Township, is charged with two counts of delivery of steroids, one count of possession with intent to deliver steroids, one count of possession of drug paraphernalia and one count of criminal conspiracy.
* Robert Greynolds, 28, of Middletown, Pa., is charged with nine counts of delivery of steroids, one count of possession of drug paraphernalia, one count of carrying a firearm without a license, one count of criminal conspiracy and one count of criminal use of a communication facility.
* Joel France, 42, of Harrisburg, is charged with three counts of delivery of steroids, one count of criminal conspiracy and one count of criminal use of a communication facility.
* Christopher Levan, 36, of Mechanicsburg, Pa., is charged with one count of delivery of steroids and one count of criminal conspiracy.
* Stacy Garonzik, 38, of Shiremanstown, Pa., is charged with one count of delivery of steroids, one count of possession with intent to deliver steroids, one count of dealing in proceeds of unlawful activity and one count of criminal conspiracy.
* Eric Garonzik, 39, of Mechanicsburg, Pa., is charged with one count of delivery of steroids, one count of possession with intent to deliver steroids, one count of dealing in proceeds of unlawful activity and one count of criminal conspiracy.
“Like any illegal drug, steroids come with negative and dangerous physical effects,” Corbett says in a news release. “We need to do everything we can to make sure that the public, especially young men, are aware of the dangers of using steroids, and we need to take those who distribute this poison off our streets.”
Corbett said the Garonziks injected clients with steroids in the office of their gym, Kinetics, which is now closed. Corbett said many of the steroid deliveries in the Harrisburg area took place near Gold’s Gym in Swatara Township.
He said the Garonziks, Lazaro and Gillespie obtained steroids by placing Internet orders to people in China and Mexico and paying via wire transfer. A grand jury investigation determined $170,000 was sent overseas between January 2004 and this year. The senders allegedly used fictitious names and structured the wire payments so they would always be less than $1,000.
Lazaro researched how to turn powder steroids into those that could be injected, and he and Gillespie started manufacturing the drugs at Lazaro’s home and branded them “Pro Lab,” Corbett says. Sassaman and Koufalis, both bodybuilders, allegedly obtained “Pro Lab” steroids from Lazaro and Gillespie and sold them to others to pay for the expense of bodybuilding competitions.
When officials searched Lazaro’s home, they allegedly seized more than nine pounds of bulk steroids, numerous syringes, a 9mm firearm and various items, such as filters, oils and alcohols used to manufacture steroids. During the course of the entire investigation, agents seized more than 700 bottles of steroids, 1,337 pills containing steroids, nine pounds of bulk steroids, $28,000 and four other firearms. The investigation is ongoing.
