The double homicide of two bodybuilders by two 18-year-old boys in Mani over a botched up steroids deal has caused shockwaves across the country. The murders appear to be just the tip of the iceberg as far as the link between iron pumping and anabolic steroids is concerned. The turnover for illegal activities concerning these drugs is estimated at 1 billion euros per annum in Greece.

Greek penalties for anabolic steroids are considered lighter than the rest of Europe and this has proven a draw card for European dealers who know that they can get off without a prison sentence. Over the last decade, huge shipments of steroids from India, Pakistan and China are transported to Europe via Greece. The Greek anti-drug squad has been on the tail of a ring bringing anabolic shipments to Greece and found a warehouse with 28 different steroids with a street value of 58,000 euros.

Most of the trade goes on at gyms. “We need more personnel so as to more adequately handle our state responsibilities and collaborate with the police and SDOE (the Financial and Economic Crime Unit) in clamping down on the phenomenon,” says Dr. Dimitris Lintzeris, president of the National Organization for Medicines (EOF). “I’m not satisfied with supervision and its effectiveness because I believe that the use of anabolic steroids is much larger than what we are currently finding. There need to be more intensive searches in collaboration with police authorities so that employees of the organization aren’t afraid to do their jobs. EOF often warns people about the destructive consequences of steroids use on our web pages.”