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Man arrested on steroids charge (wyldeone)
Police allege stockpile worth $250,000 to $350,000
BY SCOTT GUTIERREZ
OLYMPIA -- An Olympia man faces drug charges after narcotics detectives found thousands of doses of steroids inside his home, authorities said Friday.
Jeffrey S. Bell, 31, was arrested at his apartment on Donavan Loop, south of Olympia, on suspicion of unlawful possession of steroids with intent to deliver. He was booked at Thurston County Jail but posted $5,000 bail and was released.
"Obviously this is the beginning of a big investigation if you've got this many doses," said Lt. Loreli Thompson of the Thurston County Narcotics Task Force.
The investigation started with a tip to the drug task force. Steroids are illegal to possess without a prescription. Detectives searched Bell's home and found between 20,000 and 40,000 doses in both pill and liquid form, task force officials said.
"There will be a little more investigation into where he is getting them," task force Sgt. Fred Bjornberg said. "We know he's distributing it."
Detectives estimate the seizure totaled about $250,000 to $350,000 in street value, he said.
Bell is a bodybuilder and helps prepare other bodybuilders for contests, Bjornberg said.
The arrest Thursday coincides with a steroid scandal gripping Major League baseball. Earlier this year, Congress held a hearing on the prevalence of steroid use among professional baseball players and what the league was doing to regulate it.
Then, last week, Baltimore Orioles slugger Rafael Palmeiro was suspended for 10 games after testing positive.
Bell has drawn attention from the task force in the past for performance-enhancing drugs. In 2002, he was sentenced to five months of work release and 240 hours of community service after he entered an Alford plea in response to a charge of attempted possession of steroids with intent to deliver and unlawful possession of testosterone, court documents say. Under an Alford plea, a defendant doesn't admit guilt but concedes that a jury likely would have convicted him based on the evidence.
The 2002 case started with a Drug Enforcement Administration investigation into packages containing cash that were sent to a mailbox belonging to Bell's fiancee. She told detectives that the couple owned an exercise video business and sometimes received cash through the mail, court documents say.
Detectives obtained a search warrant for Bell's home in that investigation and found 33 pills that turned out to be methandrostenolone and a bottle full of liquid that authorities determined was testosterone, court documents say.
As part of his probation in that case, the court ordered him to avoid bodybuilding competitions and personal training, court documents say.
Much of Thursday's seizure came from a veterinarian supplier, Bjornberg said, adding that Bell was cooperative during the investigation.
Scott Gutierrez covers crime and law enforcement for The Olympian. He can be reached at 360-754-5465 or by e-mail at [email protected].
Police allege stockpile worth $250,000 to $350,000
BY SCOTT GUTIERREZ
OLYMPIA -- An Olympia man faces drug charges after narcotics detectives found thousands of doses of steroids inside his home, authorities said Friday.
Jeffrey S. Bell, 31, was arrested at his apartment on Donavan Loop, south of Olympia, on suspicion of unlawful possession of steroids with intent to deliver. He was booked at Thurston County Jail but posted $5,000 bail and was released.
"Obviously this is the beginning of a big investigation if you've got this many doses," said Lt. Loreli Thompson of the Thurston County Narcotics Task Force.
The investigation started with a tip to the drug task force. Steroids are illegal to possess without a prescription. Detectives searched Bell's home and found between 20,000 and 40,000 doses in both pill and liquid form, task force officials said.
"There will be a little more investigation into where he is getting them," task force Sgt. Fred Bjornberg said. "We know he's distributing it."
Detectives estimate the seizure totaled about $250,000 to $350,000 in street value, he said.
Bell is a bodybuilder and helps prepare other bodybuilders for contests, Bjornberg said.
The arrest Thursday coincides with a steroid scandal gripping Major League baseball. Earlier this year, Congress held a hearing on the prevalence of steroid use among professional baseball players and what the league was doing to regulate it.
Then, last week, Baltimore Orioles slugger Rafael Palmeiro was suspended for 10 games after testing positive.
Bell has drawn attention from the task force in the past for performance-enhancing drugs. In 2002, he was sentenced to five months of work release and 240 hours of community service after he entered an Alford plea in response to a charge of attempted possession of steroids with intent to deliver and unlawful possession of testosterone, court documents say. Under an Alford plea, a defendant doesn't admit guilt but concedes that a jury likely would have convicted him based on the evidence.
The 2002 case started with a Drug Enforcement Administration investigation into packages containing cash that were sent to a mailbox belonging to Bell's fiancee. She told detectives that the couple owned an exercise video business and sometimes received cash through the mail, court documents say.
Detectives obtained a search warrant for Bell's home in that investigation and found 33 pills that turned out to be methandrostenolone and a bottle full of liquid that authorities determined was testosterone, court documents say.
As part of his probation in that case, the court ordered him to avoid bodybuilding competitions and personal training, court documents say.
Much of Thursday's seizure came from a veterinarian supplier, Bjornberg said, adding that Bell was cooperative during the investigation.
Scott Gutierrez covers crime and law enforcement for The Olympian. He can be reached at 360-754-5465 or by e-mail at [email protected].
