Dec. 17, 2005, 12:30AM
Steroid bust gratifies victim's dad
Son's death tied to vial from Mexico; Houston among cites where users are tracked
By HARVEY RICE and GRANT SCHULTE
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle
It was gratifying, Don Hooton of Plano said Friday, to watch as the Mexico City veterinarian accused of being the world's largest maker of illegal anabolic steroids was brought in chains into a federal courtroom in San Diego.
The death of Hooton's 17-year-old son, high school baseball pitcher Taylor Hooton, in 2003 was linked to a vial of steroids found in his room in the Dallas suburb. DEA agents later traced the vial to one of three Mexican manufacturers owned by the animal doctor, Alberto Saltiel-Cohen, according to Hooton.
"There is some level of big satisfaction," Hooton said, about finally seeing an arrest in connection with his son's suicide, which he said was induced by steroid use.
DEA agents invited Hooton, 55, a relative of former Houston Astros pitching coach Burt Hooton, to San Diego for the news conference announcing what agents called the largest steroid bust in history.
A 21-month investigation targeted steroid traffickers in the United States and eight major Mexican suppliers, who are accused of selling the drugs on the Internet under the cover of makers of veterinary medicines.
The DEA said indictments and arrests have choked most of the flow of illegal steroids across the Mexico-U.S. border by mail and private air and road shipments.
From teenagers trying to bulk up to professional athletes trying to enhance their performance, many people using illegal steroids across the United States have encountered illness and scandal.
"As important that it is that they have taken this stuff off the street, another message I hope gets driven home is that to possess a steroid without a prescription is a felony," said Hooton, who has testified to Congress and established a foundation in his son's name to fight steroid abuse.
DEA agents continued Friday to track down more than two dozen Houston clients of the manufacturers shut down in a series of arrests this week, DEA spokesman Misha Piastor said.
No arrests have been made in Houston, Piastor said from the DEA field office in San Diego, but some may follow.
Agents in Houston carried no arrest warrants, Piastor said, and instead warned steroid purchasers about the perils of steroid use. They also sought information on traffickers.
Piastor said an unspecified number of arrests were made in other states as agents interviewed hundreds of the best customers among more than 2,000 U.S. residents who bought steroids from the indicted businesses.
"We were pretty much able to document sales in every state of the country," he said.
Saltiel Cohen is accused of owning three of the six targeted steroid manufacturers: Quality Vet, Denkall and Animal Power. Merle Schneidewind, a San Diego lawyer identified as Saltiel Cohen's attorney, did not return phone calls Friday.
The targeted suppliers accounted for $56 million in steroid sales per year, more than half of all steroids moved from Mexico into the United States, officials said.
Many of the Web sites implicated in the crackdown vanished Friday. Yet Internet sites for four companies were still available Friday, touting powerful performance enhancers as supplements for horses, dogs, chickens and other animals.
Authorities have not tried to close the Web sites because the site's creators could easily find another online host to advertise their products, Piastro said.
A site for an alleged supplier in Mexico City, Pets Pharma, became unavailable Friday afternoon, replaced by a white screen with the words, "En Construccion" (Spanish for "Under Construction"). The site gave no further explanation.
The site for Loeffler, S.A., an accused Mexico City provider, bills its products as useful for animals and children.
Federal prosecutor Tim Coughlin said U.S. officials will work with the Mexican government to find and extradite suspects who remain at large. Throughout the investigation, he said, U.S. leaders provided updates to Mexican authorities, who could not be reached for comment Friday.
Thursday's DEA announcement also sent a shock through online steroid chat rooms, where members bemoaned what many considered an unfair crackdown. At a forum for purported steroid users, some members suggested hoarding large quantities of the substances before the supply becomes scarce or buying instead from European suppliers.
"This is definitely not good," a member wrote. "They went straight to the manufacturer. 'Nip it at the bud,' so to speak. I have a bad feeling this is just the beginning
Steroid bust gratifies victim's dad
Son's death tied to vial from Mexico; Houston among cites where users are tracked
By HARVEY RICE and GRANT SCHULTE
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle
It was gratifying, Don Hooton of Plano said Friday, to watch as the Mexico City veterinarian accused of being the world's largest maker of illegal anabolic steroids was brought in chains into a federal courtroom in San Diego.
The death of Hooton's 17-year-old son, high school baseball pitcher Taylor Hooton, in 2003 was linked to a vial of steroids found in his room in the Dallas suburb. DEA agents later traced the vial to one of three Mexican manufacturers owned by the animal doctor, Alberto Saltiel-Cohen, according to Hooton.
"There is some level of big satisfaction," Hooton said, about finally seeing an arrest in connection with his son's suicide, which he said was induced by steroid use.
DEA agents invited Hooton, 55, a relative of former Houston Astros pitching coach Burt Hooton, to San Diego for the news conference announcing what agents called the largest steroid bust in history.
A 21-month investigation targeted steroid traffickers in the United States and eight major Mexican suppliers, who are accused of selling the drugs on the Internet under the cover of makers of veterinary medicines.
The DEA said indictments and arrests have choked most of the flow of illegal steroids across the Mexico-U.S. border by mail and private air and road shipments.
From teenagers trying to bulk up to professional athletes trying to enhance their performance, many people using illegal steroids across the United States have encountered illness and scandal.
"As important that it is that they have taken this stuff off the street, another message I hope gets driven home is that to possess a steroid without a prescription is a felony," said Hooton, who has testified to Congress and established a foundation in his son's name to fight steroid abuse.
DEA agents continued Friday to track down more than two dozen Houston clients of the manufacturers shut down in a series of arrests this week, DEA spokesman Misha Piastor said.
No arrests have been made in Houston, Piastor said from the DEA field office in San Diego, but some may follow.
Agents in Houston carried no arrest warrants, Piastor said, and instead warned steroid purchasers about the perils of steroid use. They also sought information on traffickers.
Piastor said an unspecified number of arrests were made in other states as agents interviewed hundreds of the best customers among more than 2,000 U.S. residents who bought steroids from the indicted businesses.
"We were pretty much able to document sales in every state of the country," he said.
Saltiel Cohen is accused of owning three of the six targeted steroid manufacturers: Quality Vet, Denkall and Animal Power. Merle Schneidewind, a San Diego lawyer identified as Saltiel Cohen's attorney, did not return phone calls Friday.
The targeted suppliers accounted for $56 million in steroid sales per year, more than half of all steroids moved from Mexico into the United States, officials said.
Many of the Web sites implicated in the crackdown vanished Friday. Yet Internet sites for four companies were still available Friday, touting powerful performance enhancers as supplements for horses, dogs, chickens and other animals.
Authorities have not tried to close the Web sites because the site's creators could easily find another online host to advertise their products, Piastro said.
A site for an alleged supplier in Mexico City, Pets Pharma, became unavailable Friday afternoon, replaced by a white screen with the words, "En Construccion" (Spanish for "Under Construction"). The site gave no further explanation.
The site for Loeffler, S.A., an accused Mexico City provider, bills its products as useful for animals and children.
Federal prosecutor Tim Coughlin said U.S. officials will work with the Mexican government to find and extradite suspects who remain at large. Throughout the investigation, he said, U.S. leaders provided updates to Mexican authorities, who could not be reached for comment Friday.
Thursday's DEA announcement also sent a shock through online steroid chat rooms, where members bemoaned what many considered an unfair crackdown. At a forum for purported steroid users, some members suggested hoarding large quantities of the substances before the supply becomes scarce or buying instead from European suppliers.
"This is definitely not good," a member wrote. "They went straight to the manufacturer. 'Nip it at the bud,' so to speak. I have a bad feeling this is just the beginning
