- Jun 25, 2006
- 5,045
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Underground AAS
There is no question about it. Anabolic steroids are big business. The demand for these drugs has grown tremendously in the past decade or so, ballooning a once languishing segment of the international drug market. Mexico, for example, which had an essentially dead steroid industry just 10 years ago, is now amid an unprecedented growth explosion in steroids. Many established companies in this country are actually specializing in them now, and numerous new companies are popping up with steroid manufacturing in mind, not just in Mexico, but all around the world. Millions of dollars are spent on these drugs each week, and everyone seems to want to cash in on the new anabolic gold rush. But “everyone” seems to include more than just legitimate drug companies these days. This month I’d like to take an up-close look at an ultra-clandestine and rapidly growing segment of the steroid business— underground manufacturing. Underground manufacturers are everywhere these days and are producing a lot more of the available drugs than you think. But in a market flooded with underdosed fakes and outright rip-offs, should we be supporting this “illegitimate” segment of the industry?
Big Bucks
An underground steroid manufacturer is a company that operates illegally to produce drugs for sale specifically to athletes on the black market. Underground manufacturers are not counterfeiters per se, as they rarely duplicate the packaging of real drug companies and they do use real steroids to make their products. The focus is usually on inventing a whole new drug company and trying to establish it in the marketplace as a reputable operation. These businesses all start the same way. An enterprising individual sees all the money being thrown around for steroids and decides he can make more money manufacturing these drugs than simply dealing in them. And more money can be quite an understatement. Below is a price list for bulk raw materials from an overseas steroid supply company. As you can see, if someone were to obtain a single kilogram of raw methandrostenolone powder, he could produce 2,000 bottles (5mg X 100 tablets) at a cost of only two dollars each. Sold at $75 a pop, the finished inventory has a value of $150,000. That is 3,700 percent of the initial $4,000, a tremendous return on the investment. Get away with this a few times and you are making some serious money.
Raw Materials Price List
Ethylestrenol $9,900/kg
Methenolone $18,000/kg
Methandrostenolone $4,000/kg
Methyltestosterone $1,150/kg
Nandrolone decanoate $4,800/kg
Oxandrolone $27,000/kg
Oxymetholone $4,000/kg
Stanozolol $4,600/kg
Testosterone $1,900/kg
Testosterone Propionate $2,500/kg
Trenbolone $23,000/kg
An Old Industry
Underground steroids are not at all a new phenomenon. In fact, these operations have been around for as long as there has been a steroid market to speak of. What is new is the tremendous explosion in underground manufacturing that we are in the middle of right now. Below, I have listed over 20 underground companies that have operated in the past few years, and this is just the tip of the iceberg. There are certainly many more of them. The Internet, and the ease with which it puts people in different countries in contact with each other, has probably fueled a lot of this. Ten years ago, if you wanted to find bulk steroid materials you’d have to do quite a bit of hunting around to locate companies making them. Considering that most steroid manufacturing is done in China, finding even a single one was not an easy proposition. But today you can find these bulk suppliers on Yahoo with little more than a few keystrokes. No doubt this has eased the way for many of the companies operating right now.
Alpha-Tech
This is an underground American lab that had a popular line of tablets for a short period of time, including 5mg methandrostenolone, 50mg oxymetholone and 50mg stanozolol tablets. Alpha-Tech is now out of business, reportedly due to intervention from law enforcement.
Black Label
Black Label is an underground lab in the U.S. that specializes in injectables that come in very high doses. Products include boldenone undecylenate, testosterone enanthate and nandrolone decanoate, as well as orals such as oxymetholone and stanozolol. All injectables reportedly come in 15ml vials.
Blue Diamond Labs
Blue Diamond is a Canadian underground lab that makes a line of oral and injectable steroids, including a 100mg/ml 50ml trenbolone acetate.
Europa Quality Labs
EQL is another new manufacturer reportedly operating somewhere in the U.S. It produces a line of high-dose injectables including a 400mg/ml vial of testosterone enanthate and an oil-based stanozolol suspension. G.A.R.D.G.A.R.D. Pharmaceuticals is an underground manufacturer that’s reportedly based somewhere in the U.K. They make some pretty odd combination products including T.T.S.-150, which contains Trenbolone acetate 50mg, Testosterone 50mg and Stanozolol 50mg/ml in a 20ml vial, and E.P.C.400, which is a 400mg/ml blend of different testosterone esters.
Gen-Med
Gen-Med makes a line of oral steroids and ancillary drugs including Nolvadex, Arimidex, Clomid and methandrostenolone.
Generic Supplements
Generic Supplements is a popular underground steroid manufacturer in Western Europe. It makes both oral and injectable products, including odd items like 50mcg clenbuterol tablets and the spot-reduction agent HELIOS (injectable clenbuterol/yohimbine). GS has a very good reputation at this time.
Genisis Laboritories
Genisis Laboritories (incorrectly spelled on the label) is another Canadian Underground manufacturer. I have seen injectable products from this line, but no orals as yet. It’s probably not a very large operation and may even be out of operation.
Global
Global is supposedly the new name for the Jenaka line, which was discontinued recently. This is a reputable and highly regarded underground lab in Canada. This firm is making several products at this time, including testosterone propionate, testosterone cypionate, nandrolone phenylpropionate, nandrolone decanoate and methandrostenolone.
International Pharmaceuticals
International Pharmaceuticals is probably the world’s oldest running underground steroid manufacturing operation, going back well over a decade. It makes a full line of top-quality orals and injectables, including stanozolol (oral and injectable), methandrostenolone (oral and injectable), oxymetholone, testosterone cypionate, testosterone enanthate, nandrolone decanoate, trenbolone (base), boldenone undecylenate and a Sustanon clone. IP has always had an excellent reputation with bodybuilders. Be careful though, as counterfeiters have been trying to cash in on the IP name for years. The boxes that carry their injectable products can be checked for authenticity by tearing them open and looking at the interior glue line. Each has its own specific number here. IP trenbolone has the number 151 for example, while their stanozolol has 150.
Jenaka
Jenaka was a popular underground lab in Canada for some time, making a full line of products including oxymetholone, testosterone propionate, testosterone cypionate, nandrolone decanoate and nandrolone phenylpropionate. Jenaka was highly regarded on the black market, however it discontinued operation very recently.
L-F-C
L-F-C is supposedly a veterinary manufacturer in Canada, but is in reality an underground steroid manufacturer. It makes several injectable products and has a pretty good reputation at this time.
Mexi-Pharm
This is an underground maker that’s supposedly based in Mexico. It makes a full line of injectables including nandrolone decanoate, trenbolone acetate, stanozolol, testosterone propionate, testosterone enanthate and testosterone cypionate. It seems to have a good reputation at this time.
Peru Tech Labs
This is an underground manufacturer that’s supposedly based in Peru, although this is unlikely. It makes both orals and injectables, including trenbolone acetate, stanozolol, methandrostenolone and Clomid. There has been a lot of good talk about this company as of late— mostly good feedback.
Proline
This is another underground manufacturer that focuses on getting high concentrations of steroid into its injectable products. Among other things, it makes testosterone propionate, boldenone undecylenate, trenbolone acetate, a testosterone suspension/trenbolone mixture, injectable stanozolol and testosterone enanthate. Some of the products are in a concentration as high as 500mg/ml.
PV Labs
PV makes a full line of injectables including testosterone cypionate, testosterone enanthate, testosterone propionate, trenbolone acetate, nandrolone decanoate, stanozolol and a Sustanon close. All come in 10ml vials, except for the 100mg/ml stanozolol, which is in a 20ml bottle. Newer labels have the letters PVL embossed in the paper in an effort to deter counterfeiting of the line. PV makes oral products in addition, including a 25mg oxymetholone product (Oxytol-25).
QFS
QFS is another underground Canadian company that’s highly regarded for the quality of its products. The name stands for “Quest For Size.” Its line of injectables includes Enlarge (200mg/ml 10ml testosterone enanthate), Prop Rx (testosterone propionate 100mg/ml 10ml), Androtren (trenbolone acetate 100mg/ml 10ml), Aqua-Test (testosterone suspension 100mg/ml 20ml), Stanozolol 50mg/ml 20ml and Equibolic (boldenone undecylenate 200mg/ml 10ml).
Quest
This is another new underground company. It’s the maker of Masteron 75, a drostanolone propionate injectable that supposedly contains 75mg/ml of this steroid in a 20ml vial. Since drostanolone is an extremely rare find, I wound be hesitant to trust it without an independent lab test. Feedback seems extremely good on this company thus far, however, so you never know.
Spectro
For a period of time, Spectro was one of the most reputable underground labs in operation. This Canadian firm made a full line of oral and injectable steroid products, including testosterone cypionate, testosterone propionate, nandrolone decanoate, methandrostenolone, stanozolol, oxymetholone and testosterone suspension. The products were highly regarded on the black market, so much so, that there was quite a stir when Spectro finally closed down. A new company is now using the abandoned Spectro name, but unfortunately, I have no information about the quality of its products.
Valopharm
Valopharm has been around for a couple of years and has a small line with a good reputation. Products include Valotest (400mg/ml testosterone enanthate), WiniJet (100mg/ml stanozolol), Finaplix Gold (100mg/ml trenbolone acetate) and Pronadrol (50mg oxymetholone).
World Products
This is another Canadian underground manufacturer. It began operating in the spring of 2002 and makes several injectable and oral steroid products. The lab claims to do all their manufacturing in a sterile air-filter environment. Obviously, this cannot be verified.
Making the Purchase?
The underground labs are out there. The question now is, should you buy from them? Ultimately, this is not an easy question to answer. It’s a decision you will have to make for yourself. I have always avoided underground products myself for a number of reasons, the least of which is not safety. You need to remember that when a legitimate pharmaceutical company makes a steroid, it is done in what is known as a “clean room.” These assembly rooms are kept perfectly sterile. You can’t even go near a clean room without a sealed body suit and respirator. What do you think the chances are that an underground manufacturing operation is assembling its products in such a room? Granted, if you add enough benzyl alcohol to an injectable solution you’ll probably be okay, but personally speaking, I prefer not to take those chances. With orals, of course, this is not such an important issue. Another thing to consider is that you never know what is truly going on behind the scenes. I trust that Upjohn is not messing up the ingredients in my Depo-Testosterone, but know that I am at the full mercy of the unknown people running the underground operation. What if someone there is having a really bad day and decides to take it out on me? I simply feel that there are enough trusted legitimate steroid manufacturers in the world not to be forced to buy underground drugs. But then again, many of the above companies have very loyal followers. Sometimes, it’s hard to argue with results.
There is no question about it. Anabolic steroids are big business. The demand for these drugs has grown tremendously in the past decade or so, ballooning a once languishing segment of the international drug market. Mexico, for example, which had an essentially dead steroid industry just 10 years ago, is now amid an unprecedented growth explosion in steroids. Many established companies in this country are actually specializing in them now, and numerous new companies are popping up with steroid manufacturing in mind, not just in Mexico, but all around the world. Millions of dollars are spent on these drugs each week, and everyone seems to want to cash in on the new anabolic gold rush. But “everyone” seems to include more than just legitimate drug companies these days. This month I’d like to take an up-close look at an ultra-clandestine and rapidly growing segment of the steroid business— underground manufacturing. Underground manufacturers are everywhere these days and are producing a lot more of the available drugs than you think. But in a market flooded with underdosed fakes and outright rip-offs, should we be supporting this “illegitimate” segment of the industry?
Big Bucks
An underground steroid manufacturer is a company that operates illegally to produce drugs for sale specifically to athletes on the black market. Underground manufacturers are not counterfeiters per se, as they rarely duplicate the packaging of real drug companies and they do use real steroids to make their products. The focus is usually on inventing a whole new drug company and trying to establish it in the marketplace as a reputable operation. These businesses all start the same way. An enterprising individual sees all the money being thrown around for steroids and decides he can make more money manufacturing these drugs than simply dealing in them. And more money can be quite an understatement. Below is a price list for bulk raw materials from an overseas steroid supply company. As you can see, if someone were to obtain a single kilogram of raw methandrostenolone powder, he could produce 2,000 bottles (5mg X 100 tablets) at a cost of only two dollars each. Sold at $75 a pop, the finished inventory has a value of $150,000. That is 3,700 percent of the initial $4,000, a tremendous return on the investment. Get away with this a few times and you are making some serious money.
Raw Materials Price List
Ethylestrenol $9,900/kg
Methenolone $18,000/kg
Methandrostenolone $4,000/kg
Methyltestosterone $1,150/kg
Nandrolone decanoate $4,800/kg
Oxandrolone $27,000/kg
Oxymetholone $4,000/kg
Stanozolol $4,600/kg
Testosterone $1,900/kg
Testosterone Propionate $2,500/kg
Trenbolone $23,000/kg
An Old Industry
Underground steroids are not at all a new phenomenon. In fact, these operations have been around for as long as there has been a steroid market to speak of. What is new is the tremendous explosion in underground manufacturing that we are in the middle of right now. Below, I have listed over 20 underground companies that have operated in the past few years, and this is just the tip of the iceberg. There are certainly many more of them. The Internet, and the ease with which it puts people in different countries in contact with each other, has probably fueled a lot of this. Ten years ago, if you wanted to find bulk steroid materials you’d have to do quite a bit of hunting around to locate companies making them. Considering that most steroid manufacturing is done in China, finding even a single one was not an easy proposition. But today you can find these bulk suppliers on Yahoo with little more than a few keystrokes. No doubt this has eased the way for many of the companies operating right now.
The Companies
Alpha-Tech
This is an underground American lab that had a popular line of tablets for a short period of time, including 5mg methandrostenolone, 50mg oxymetholone and 50mg stanozolol tablets. Alpha-Tech is now out of business, reportedly due to intervention from law enforcement.
Black Label
Black Label is an underground lab in the U.S. that specializes in injectables that come in very high doses. Products include boldenone undecylenate, testosterone enanthate and nandrolone decanoate, as well as orals such as oxymetholone and stanozolol. All injectables reportedly come in 15ml vials.
Blue Diamond Labs
Blue Diamond is a Canadian underground lab that makes a line of oral and injectable steroids, including a 100mg/ml 50ml trenbolone acetate.
Europa Quality Labs
EQL is another new manufacturer reportedly operating somewhere in the U.S. It produces a line of high-dose injectables including a 400mg/ml vial of testosterone enanthate and an oil-based stanozolol suspension. G.A.R.D.G.A.R.D. Pharmaceuticals is an underground manufacturer that’s reportedly based somewhere in the U.K. They make some pretty odd combination products including T.T.S.-150, which contains Trenbolone acetate 50mg, Testosterone 50mg and Stanozolol 50mg/ml in a 20ml vial, and E.P.C.400, which is a 400mg/ml blend of different testosterone esters.
Gen-Med
Gen-Med makes a line of oral steroids and ancillary drugs including Nolvadex, Arimidex, Clomid and methandrostenolone.
Generic Supplements
Generic Supplements is a popular underground steroid manufacturer in Western Europe. It makes both oral and injectable products, including odd items like 50mcg clenbuterol tablets and the spot-reduction agent HELIOS (injectable clenbuterol/yohimbine). GS has a very good reputation at this time.
Genisis Laboritories
Genisis Laboritories (incorrectly spelled on the label) is another Canadian Underground manufacturer. I have seen injectable products from this line, but no orals as yet. It’s probably not a very large operation and may even be out of operation.
Global
Global is supposedly the new name for the Jenaka line, which was discontinued recently. This is a reputable and highly regarded underground lab in Canada. This firm is making several products at this time, including testosterone propionate, testosterone cypionate, nandrolone phenylpropionate, nandrolone decanoate and methandrostenolone.
International Pharmaceuticals
International Pharmaceuticals is probably the world’s oldest running underground steroid manufacturing operation, going back well over a decade. It makes a full line of top-quality orals and injectables, including stanozolol (oral and injectable), methandrostenolone (oral and injectable), oxymetholone, testosterone cypionate, testosterone enanthate, nandrolone decanoate, trenbolone (base), boldenone undecylenate and a Sustanon clone. IP has always had an excellent reputation with bodybuilders. Be careful though, as counterfeiters have been trying to cash in on the IP name for years. The boxes that carry their injectable products can be checked for authenticity by tearing them open and looking at the interior glue line. Each has its own specific number here. IP trenbolone has the number 151 for example, while their stanozolol has 150.
Jenaka
Jenaka was a popular underground lab in Canada for some time, making a full line of products including oxymetholone, testosterone propionate, testosterone cypionate, nandrolone decanoate and nandrolone phenylpropionate. Jenaka was highly regarded on the black market, however it discontinued operation very recently.
L-F-C
L-F-C is supposedly a veterinary manufacturer in Canada, but is in reality an underground steroid manufacturer. It makes several injectable products and has a pretty good reputation at this time.
Mexi-Pharm
This is an underground maker that’s supposedly based in Mexico. It makes a full line of injectables including nandrolone decanoate, trenbolone acetate, stanozolol, testosterone propionate, testosterone enanthate and testosterone cypionate. It seems to have a good reputation at this time.
Peru Tech Labs
This is an underground manufacturer that’s supposedly based in Peru, although this is unlikely. It makes both orals and injectables, including trenbolone acetate, stanozolol, methandrostenolone and Clomid. There has been a lot of good talk about this company as of late— mostly good feedback.
Proline
This is another underground manufacturer that focuses on getting high concentrations of steroid into its injectable products. Among other things, it makes testosterone propionate, boldenone undecylenate, trenbolone acetate, a testosterone suspension/trenbolone mixture, injectable stanozolol and testosterone enanthate. Some of the products are in a concentration as high as 500mg/ml.
PV Labs
PV makes a full line of injectables including testosterone cypionate, testosterone enanthate, testosterone propionate, trenbolone acetate, nandrolone decanoate, stanozolol and a Sustanon close. All come in 10ml vials, except for the 100mg/ml stanozolol, which is in a 20ml bottle. Newer labels have the letters PVL embossed in the paper in an effort to deter counterfeiting of the line. PV makes oral products in addition, including a 25mg oxymetholone product (Oxytol-25).
QFS
QFS is another underground Canadian company that’s highly regarded for the quality of its products. The name stands for “Quest For Size.” Its line of injectables includes Enlarge (200mg/ml 10ml testosterone enanthate), Prop Rx (testosterone propionate 100mg/ml 10ml), Androtren (trenbolone acetate 100mg/ml 10ml), Aqua-Test (testosterone suspension 100mg/ml 20ml), Stanozolol 50mg/ml 20ml and Equibolic (boldenone undecylenate 200mg/ml 10ml).
Quest
This is another new underground company. It’s the maker of Masteron 75, a drostanolone propionate injectable that supposedly contains 75mg/ml of this steroid in a 20ml vial. Since drostanolone is an extremely rare find, I wound be hesitant to trust it without an independent lab test. Feedback seems extremely good on this company thus far, however, so you never know.
Spectro
For a period of time, Spectro was one of the most reputable underground labs in operation. This Canadian firm made a full line of oral and injectable steroid products, including testosterone cypionate, testosterone propionate, nandrolone decanoate, methandrostenolone, stanozolol, oxymetholone and testosterone suspension. The products were highly regarded on the black market, so much so, that there was quite a stir when Spectro finally closed down. A new company is now using the abandoned Spectro name, but unfortunately, I have no information about the quality of its products.
Valopharm
Valopharm has been around for a couple of years and has a small line with a good reputation. Products include Valotest (400mg/ml testosterone enanthate), WiniJet (100mg/ml stanozolol), Finaplix Gold (100mg/ml trenbolone acetate) and Pronadrol (50mg oxymetholone).
World Products
This is another Canadian underground manufacturer. It began operating in the spring of 2002 and makes several injectable and oral steroid products. The lab claims to do all their manufacturing in a sterile air-filter environment. Obviously, this cannot be verified.
Making the Purchase?
The underground labs are out there. The question now is, should you buy from them? Ultimately, this is not an easy question to answer. It’s a decision you will have to make for yourself. I have always avoided underground products myself for a number of reasons, the least of which is not safety. You need to remember that when a legitimate pharmaceutical company makes a steroid, it is done in what is known as a “clean room.” These assembly rooms are kept perfectly sterile. You can’t even go near a clean room without a sealed body suit and respirator. What do you think the chances are that an underground manufacturing operation is assembling its products in such a room? Granted, if you add enough benzyl alcohol to an injectable solution you’ll probably be okay, but personally speaking, I prefer not to take those chances. With orals, of course, this is not such an important issue. Another thing to consider is that you never know what is truly going on behind the scenes. I trust that Upjohn is not messing up the ingredients in my Depo-Testosterone, but know that I am at the full mercy of the unknown people running the underground operation. What if someone there is having a really bad day and decides to take it out on me? I simply feel that there are enough trusted legitimate steroid manufacturers in the world not to be forced to buy underground drugs. But then again, many of the above companies have very loyal followers. Sometimes, it’s hard to argue with results.