Illicit Steroid Trafficking

Origin

The term is rooted in criminal law and drug enforcement, specifically evolving in response to the non-medical abuse of synthetic testosterone and its derivatives that began in the mid-20th century. While the drugs themselves originated in therapeutic endocrinology, the “illicit trafficking” component emerged as a legal and societal response to the black market created by demand from bodybuilders and athletes seeking supra-physiological hormonal enhancement. This legal classification reflects the controlled substance status of AAS in many jurisdictions.

Mechanism

The mechanism of the trafficking operation is one of illegal diversion and clandestine manufacturing, driven by the high profit margins associated with controlled substances. These trafficked steroids are often chemically impure, mislabeled, or improperly dosed, leading to unpredictable and dangerous effects on the user’s endocrine system, liver, and cardiovascular health. By circumventing the legitimate clinical pathway, this mechanism removes the essential physician monitoring and laboratory testing required to mitigate the profound and potentially irreversible side effects of high-dose exogenous hormone administration.