JUL 11 -- United States Attorney Karen P. Hewitt announced that three Mexican anabolic steroid manufacturers, the Denkall, Quality Vet and Animal Power Corporations, entered guilty pleas today in federal court in San Diego, before United States District Judge M. James Lorenz. The defendant corporations pled guilty to charges of Conspiracy to Distribute Schedule III Controlled Substances, namely anabolic steroids, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 846 and 841(a)(1) and of Aiding and Abetting International Monetary Transactions, in violation of Title 31, United States Code, Section 3524(c) and Title 18, United States Code, Section 2. In addition, the Denkall, Quality Vet and Animal Power corporations forfeited, as part of their plea agreement, a total of $1.4 million representing the proceeds received by the corporations for the distribution and sale of anabolic steroids. The defendant corporations were the three largest Mexican manufacturing companies which customized their anabolic steroid products for illicit distribution and sale to the U.S. marketplace. Prior to December 2005, these defendants were the sources of more than 75% of all the Mexican steroids seized in the United States.

In their pleas, defendants Denkall, Quality Vet and Animal Power admitted that they knowingly and
intentionally conspired together and with each other to distribute more than 40,000 units of anabolic steroids. The defendant corporations further admitted to maintaining Internet websites which provided information about the respective corporations, including their lines of anabolic steroid products, photographs of their products, contact information for their anabolic steroid distributors, E-mail export addresses and telephone contract numbers, all in order to increase their sales of steroid products to U.S.-based customers. In addition, the corporations admitted to knowing that the payments they received from their distributors were proceeds from their unlawful distribution of anabolic steroids.
United States Attorney Hewitt commented, “The guilty pleas by Denkall, Quality Vet and Animal
Power are an important step by these Mexican-based corporations to accept criminal responsibility for their illicit distribution of anabolic steroids in the United States. To their credit, these defendants are now working with the Mexican governmental agencies responsible for oversight of the production of veterinary anabolic steroids, in an effort to alter the previously unchecked production of high strength anabolic steroids in that country. This prosecution and resulting guilty pleas have significantly disrupted and diminished the flow of Mexican-manufactured anabolic steroids to the United States market.”

Judge Lorenz set a sentencing date of August 20, 2007, at 8:30 a.m., in federal court in San Diego.

DEFENDANTS	CRIMINAL CASE NO. 05cr1629-L
Companies:	Denkall -Denkall Dawes, Comerivet, S.A. de C.V. Quality Vet -Comercializadora Garvet, S.A. de C.V. Animal Power, S.A. de C.V.
Address:	Av. San Pablo 79-C Mexico City, Mexico

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Count 1	Conspiracy to Distribute Schedule III Controlled Substances, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 846 and 841(a)(1);
Count 2	Aiding and Abetting International Monetary Transactions, in violation of Title 31, United States Code, Section 3524©, and Title 18, United States Code, Section 2.

Criminal Forfeiture Allegations -$1.4 million, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section 853

PARTICIPATING AGENCIES

Drug Enforcement Administration
Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigative Division
United States Postal Inspection Service
United States Olympic Committee Laboratory
University of California-Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine
Mexican Law Enforcement PGR - Organized Crime Unit
San Diego Police Department
San Diego Sheriff's Department