US steroid buyers 'from every walk' says official

People who just wanted to look healthier were among those who bought steroids from a vast sales network exposed this week after a two-year international probe, a senior US drug enforcement agent said.

"Some semi-professional body builders and personal trainers (ordered steroids), but just as well, average Americans who were going into the gym and who wanted to get bigger and wanted to get stronger," said John Gilbride, the Drug Enforcement Administration agent who oversaw the investigation.

"There were firefighters, some law enforcement individuals, individuals from every walk of life," he told CNN.

In the largest US steroid crackdown ever, more than 120 people have been arrested for illegal manufacturing and trafficking of anabolic steroids and the raw materials, mainly from China, used to make the performance-enhancing drugs, the US Justice Department said on Monday.

Under the investigation, dubbed Operation Raw Deal, federal agents closed down 56 steroid labs and seized 533 pounds (242 kg) of raw steroid powder of Chinese origin, after executing 143 search warrants on targets around the United States.

According to the charges, worldwide manufacturers of the raw materials needed for steroids used websites to market their products and provided guidance to potential customers on how to obtain steroids or convert the raw material into steroids.

Anabolic steroids aid muscle tissue build-up and are popular with bodybuilders but can cause damage to the heart and liver.

Gilbride said youths are most likely to use steroids. In a bid to stop use by teenagers, three states - New Jersey, Florida and Texas - this month began testing high school athletes for performance-enhancing drugs.

Though there have been a growing number of scandals involving professional athletes, such as new home run king Barry Bonds, no professional athletes were directly involved in the investigation, the Justice Department said.