the essential
Sold covertly or on the Internet, doping substances are no longer reserved for only a tiny portion of bodybuilding extremists. More and more young people are giving in to the lure of steroids to achieve ever higher performances or to be the most muscular on social networks…
Just a few days ago, a 27-year-old man was arrested in Colomiers after the specialized Mirail field brigade found in his home nearly 12,000 testosterone pills, growth hormones and 450 vials of medication and syringes for improve sports performance.
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INFO LA DEPECHE. He manufactured doping products in his apartment: a man arrested, thousands of pills seized
In his apartment in western Toulouse, investigators discovered a clandestine laboratory dedicated to the manufacture of these doping products, the raw materials of which were imported. They also got their hands on nearly 5,000 euros in cash. This money undoubtedly came from the resale, mainly online, of the products he handcrafted at home for bodybuilding enthusiasts and athletes looking for ever greater performance.
Much less competitive than the narcotics market, the business of trafficking in doping products has become a bonanza exploited by more and more criminals in the Toulouse region. As proof, before the Columérin chemist, last April, another 34-year-old from Toulouse, Jean-Yves T., better known under the name “Panoramix”, was sentenced by the Paris Criminal Court to four years in prison, three of which were suspended, for the same reasons.
The race for biceps and “likes” on social networks
And if there are sellers, there inevitably are buyers. Most often, the latter have two fairly distinct types of profiles. The first are mainly young people who have recently entered the world of bodybuilding, in search of the overdeveloped bodies of the people with whom they share the dumbbells. For them, the objective is to catch up and acquire imposing muscles as quickly as possible, without forcing too much in terms of effort.
Other consumers of testosterone and other anabolic steroids are those seeking almost superhuman performance, often engaged in bodybuilding or weightlifting competitions.
A regular user of Toulouse sports halls, Rémy, a 27-year-old from Toulouse with generous muscles, admits to having been tempted to go to the other side of the barrier. “On the Internet or directly from consumers, it is quite easy to obtain these illegal products. I hesitated for a long time. I train several times a week at a sustained pace and some do half as much and are thicker than me… Obviously, it generates frustration. It's like starting a video game with a cheat code or doing the Tour de France on an electric bike.”
Concerning him, these are the side effects and risks to his health (read elsewhere) who finally convinced him not to give in to the lure of intramuscular injections with a syringe. Although he doesn't do drugs either, Antonin, 20, is addicted to the gym. He admits to having hesitated to prick himself to improve his image more quickly on social networks. “It's immediately easier with girls if you post shirtless photos with your abs showing… I was offered testosterone pills, but I refused. First of all, I didn't have the money, but above all, I was afraid that my parents would find out.”
In 2023, weightlifting (3rd; 4.6%) and powerlifting (4th; 3.1%) were in the top 5 sports most affected by doping, behind MMA (11%).
Please note: doping products and proteins should not be confused
If it is important to remember that it is illegal to buy or consume doping products, it is just as important to clearly distinguish between them and protein powders, such as whey, sold in most sports halls in France. There is nothing illegal about the latter since it is just powder (generally from cow's milk) to be mixed with water, milk or vegetable drinks. This protein powder allows its users to gain mass more easily and lose fat during training. “People consume it as a dietary supplement because it provides a good source of protein and eating a steak at 5 p.m. is not necessarily very tempting,” explains a coach from a Toulouse gym.
As for prohibited products, anabolic steroids manufactured in a more or less legal laboratory have the same chemical structure as the steroids found in the male hormone, testosterone. Taking these products causes all the muscles to grow at once and can have irreversible consequences on the human body.
