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Last summer, Australian and Irish customs agents intercepted vials of suspicious gold-colored liquids being shipped into their countries from Kingwood and contacted investigators here.
An investigation ensued that prosecutors say has now busted an international Internet operation that was illegally selling synthetic human growth hormones.
"This is the first time that we've had anything of this scope happening in the Houston area," said Harris County prosecutor Ryan Patrick.
Daniel Lansdown, 35, was charged last week with three felony counts of delivery of a controlled substance to an undercover agent with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Authorities say he operated the Internet business, Innovative Opportunities, from his upscale rental home in the 2700 block of N. Cotswold Manor in a gated Kingwood neighborhood where authorities confiscated 2,600 vials of the suspected hormone valued at $50 each.
Websites now offline
Websites that authorities say were used in the sales - including www.southbeachlabs.com,www.southbeachlooks.com and www.Pure-Peptides.com - now state they are "down for maintenance."
Lansdown was free on bail and could not be reached for comment.
"The synthetic substances that he called 'peptides,' which he was selling, had not been approved by the FDA for human use," Patrick said. Lansdown was obtaining a powder from China to make his concoctions, then packaging and shipping them from Kingwood, an affidavit states.
Human growth hormone has been sought illegally by some searching for ways to reverse the aging process, or by body builders and athletes wanting to enhance their muscle mass.
The substance confiscated from the Kingwood operation was "so exotic and obscure" it had to be examined in a special FDA lab which determined it was a synthetic equivalent of the human growth hormone.
Clues found in trash
The hormone can legally be prescribed by a doctor for limited medical purposes such as growth hormone deficiency in children. However, the FDA issued a safety alert last year when a study in France found such treatment resulted in an increased risk of death compared to the general population.
According to sworn affidavits, Lansdown registered his business as a "foreign for-profit corporation" that was designed to "facilitate Internet sales." He listed himself as the registered agent and his home address as the principle office site.
Investigators retrieved data from his trash indicating sales not only in the United States, but to many other countries.
They also confiscated several computers and cellphones that could contain customer lists, among other things.
An investigation ensued that prosecutors say has now busted an international Internet operation that was illegally selling synthetic human growth hormones.
"This is the first time that we've had anything of this scope happening in the Houston area," said Harris County prosecutor Ryan Patrick.
Daniel Lansdown, 35, was charged last week with three felony counts of delivery of a controlled substance to an undercover agent with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Authorities say he operated the Internet business, Innovative Opportunities, from his upscale rental home in the 2700 block of N. Cotswold Manor in a gated Kingwood neighborhood where authorities confiscated 2,600 vials of the suspected hormone valued at $50 each.
Websites now offline
Websites that authorities say were used in the sales - including www.southbeachlabs.com,www.southbeachlooks.com and www.Pure-Peptides.com - now state they are "down for maintenance."
Lansdown was free on bail and could not be reached for comment.
"The synthetic substances that he called 'peptides,' which he was selling, had not been approved by the FDA for human use," Patrick said. Lansdown was obtaining a powder from China to make his concoctions, then packaging and shipping them from Kingwood, an affidavit states.
Human growth hormone has been sought illegally by some searching for ways to reverse the aging process, or by body builders and athletes wanting to enhance their muscle mass.
The substance confiscated from the Kingwood operation was "so exotic and obscure" it had to be examined in a special FDA lab which determined it was a synthetic equivalent of the human growth hormone.
Clues found in trash
The hormone can legally be prescribed by a doctor for limited medical purposes such as growth hormone deficiency in children. However, the FDA issued a safety alert last year when a study in France found such treatment resulted in an increased risk of death compared to the general population.
According to sworn affidavits, Lansdown registered his business as a "foreign for-profit corporation" that was designed to "facilitate Internet sales." He listed himself as the registered agent and his home address as the principle office site.
Investigators retrieved data from his trash indicating sales not only in the United States, but to many other countries.
They also confiscated several computers and cellphones that could contain customer lists, among other things.
