Recently, South Florida was brought again into the public attention in the context of illegal medication and drugs, this time related to steroids and big sports names, such as New York Yankees’ major star Alex Rodriguez, San Francisco Giants outfielder Melky Cabrera, Oakland A’s hurler Bartolo Colón, and Texas Rangers slugger Nelson Cruz.
Miami New Times notes that a Miami anti-aging clinic provided sports players with performance-enhancing drugs, from human growth hormone (HGH) to testosterone and anabolic steroids. While some of the players and the clinic owners denied any relation to steroids and there were no criminal charges brought in the case yet, the issue of illegal drugs, pain clinics and steroids remains a major problem in South Florida.
If you find yourself involved in this type of criminal offenses, remember that federal investigators have started to pay attention to the problem, it is a serious legal situation and you should search for professional legal advice and an experienced Fort Lauderdale criminal defense lawyer to help you.
So far, anti-aging clinics and pain clinics took advantage from a legal gray area in Florida. While pain clinics have been recently more under control in Florida, the issue of anti-aging clinics, spas and this type of businesses is still not under significant legal control.
However, especially due to recent events and celebrities maintaining this topic under media and public scrutiny, individuals involved in this type of trade either as buyers or sellers need to know that federal authorities are paying more attention to the situation and are starting to bring criminal charges of trafficking human growth hormone, steroid trafficking and improperly prescribing steroids.
Miami Herald notes significant examples of arrests made by DEA in the last years for this kind of criminal offenses. This shows the authorities’ interest in dealing with this legal problem and their significant progress in bringing criminal charges to guilty individuals.