Low risk of doping dealers: “Doping substances for the whole world”

Status: 04.06.2023 17:02

Follow-up research by the ARD doping editorial team for the documentary “Geheimsache Doping: Dealer” about the Danish wholesaler Jacob Sporon-Fiedler provides insights into the huge extent of his steroid business.

By Hajo Seppelt, Peter Wozny and Joerg Winterfeldt

The Danish doping dealer Jacob Sporon-Fiedler is coming under more and more pressure. After the ARD documentary “Geheimellesache Doping: Dealer” reported on the man’s criminal activities in early April, he became involved Sporon-Fiedler more and more contradictory. The Dane, who runs the Alpha Pharma company in Mumbai, claimed after the broadcast of the ARD documentary that he had nothing to do with the illegal trade in anabolic steroids.

Now, for the first time, broadcast recordings with a hidden camera, which the ARD doping editorial team presents in a follow-up film, suggest the opposite. As a representative of his company, he emphasizes in front of the camera: “We can deliver the final product to you. We have stock available. So no problem. We can arrange it however you wish.” Sporon-Fiedlers Statements indicate that he is very involved in the illegal trade in doping substances – although he keeps coming back “Marketing Agents” references that are said to be included.

“A Big Problem”

The increased attention from the ARD reporting is now threatening Sporon-Fiedlers leeway to interfere sensitively. “There is an urgent need for action”says the head of the Danish Anti-Doping Agency, Kim Hojgaard Ravn, “It’s a huge problem that Jacob Sporon-Fiedler is able to procure doping substances for Europe and probably even the whole world.”

Sporon-Fiedler was sentenced to five years and four months in prison by a London court in November 2019 for his role in the illegal import of almost 16 tonnes of anabolic steroids into the United Kingdom. Apparently, however, he only had to serve half the sentence at most and then resumed his business.

Warehouse in Denmark?

The ARD doping editorial team received a delivery of sample samples of steroids in February, and then at the beginning of March an offer for a bulk order of doping agents worth almost 400,000 euros. The processing took place via an e-mail address with the name “happymail”which the undercover journalists in the antechamber of Sporon-Fiedler received in Mumbai. According to the transport service provider, the package was sent in southern Denmark. Stands Sporon-Fiedler connected to a warehouse in Denmark?

While he did not answer inquiries from ARD then and now again, he has since had a statement made to the Danish newspaper Politiken: “Alpha-Pharma maintains its warehouses and stocks exclusively in Mumbai, India”, it says. And he also stated: “But we have no knowledge of a ‘Happymail’ or a sample package from Denmark.” This statement sounds astonishing given the rehearsal broadcast discussed with Sporon-Fiedler himself and also via the “Happymail” email delivered at his office.

150 doping controls in gyms per year

The anti-doping agency in his home country is now going further than the doping hunters in many other countries: the Danes have been testing normal customers in fitness studios since 2003 and have recently carried out around 150 doping controls there a year, although each control costs just under 500 euros. Tests are only carried out in a targeted manner if there are indications or suspicions. The Danes find doping violations in 50 percent of cases. In the case of doping controls in high-performance sport, on the other hand, less than one percent of the tests are usually positive.

According to ARD information, Sporon-Fiedler’s company Alpha Pharma launched around 400 large deliveries between 2018 and 2023, including classic anabolic steroid doping such as testosterone enanthate, methenolone enanthate, oxanabol or drostanolone.

The goods values ​​of all shipments that were officially stated add up to around 12.5 million euros, the resale value should be many times that. According to ARD information, Alpha Pharma’s main delivery destination was a company in Singapore. According to the findings of the National Crime Agency, a kind of Federal Criminal Police Office in the United Kingdom, at least in the past, consignments of goods were re-declared there, the sender was disguised and then sent to Europe. But Alpha Pharma apparently also delivers directly to recipients in countries such as Hungary, Paraguay or the Dominican Republic.

British Public prosecutor still demands 31 million euros

Information on the UK lawyer’s office website David Whittaker suggest that Sporon-Fiedler is threatened with further consequences in addition to the prison sentence that has already been served: the public prosecutor’s office, it says, still wants one “Winning £27million” (equivalent to around 31 million euros) and claim that Sporon-Fiedler over ‘realizable assets of just under £15.5million’ (equivalent to 18 million euros).

Apparently, the risk of being prosecuted in Europe is rather low for doping substance producers like Jacob Sporon-Fiedler based in India or similarly distant countries. German customs reports that they do not record seizures according to manufacturer, so that even large quantities of confiscated products from a company cannot trigger the initial suspicion that the manufacturer himself is the illegal importer.

Investigations “rare exception”

Criminal lawyer Michael Kubiciel has examined the effectiveness of the anti-doping law in Germany for the Bundestag. Among other things, the law criminalizes trading in anabolic steroids. “Investigations against trading networks abroad are the rare exception”says Kubiciel, “This is not only due to the lack of specialization of some public prosecutor’s offices, but also to difficulties in obtaining mutual legal assistance in cross-border investigations abroad.”

This is one of the reasons why doping dealers like Jacob Sporon-Fiedler can probably continue to go about their illegal business largely unmolested.

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