Samples of the anabolic steroid Danabol DS, confiscated in a police bust earlier in the day, stand on display at police headquarters August 29, 2006 in Berlin, Germany. (Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
PHOENIX - Four Valley residents are facing up to a decade in federal prison after prosecutors say they ran a yearslong illegal steroid trafficking ring out of the Phoenix metro area, shipping performance-enhancing drugs across the country.
What we know:
A federal grand jury in Alabama returned an indictment Friday charging Phoenix resident Laura Stratton, 43, Buckeye resident Brenna Eppley, 48, and Avondale residents Benjamin Stratton, 39, and Karissa Stratton, 33, with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute anabolic steroids. Investigators say the group operated the nationwide ring between October 2023 and July 2026.
Federal court filings allege Laura Stratton personally shipped potent steroid mixtures — including trenbolone enanthate and various testosterone compounds — from Arizona to southern Alabama in late March.
As part of the bust, federal authorities are moving to seize two homes in Phoenix and Avondale, three vehicles, and multiple cryptocurrency wallets and bank accounts that prosecutors claim were bought with drug proceeds or used to run the operation.
READ MORE: Hegseth announces annual testosterone deficiency screenings for service members
Team effort in AZ:
The cross-country pipeline was dismantled following a joint investigation by federal agents and local Arizona law enforcement, including the Mesa and Avondale police departments, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
What's next:
All four suspects made their initial court appearances in Arizona and Montana earlier this week. They are scheduled to appear before a federal magistrate judge in Mobile, Ala., on Aug. 26. If convicted, each faces up to 10 years in federal prison.
The Source: Information in this report was gathered from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Alabama.