Aranesp found in Ontario

The Investigative Unit of the Ontario Racing Commission (ORC), working with other police and regulatory services, has taken a supplier of drugs to the horse racing industry out of business, the ORC reported Thursday.

On Tuesday, April 18, authorities converged on a residence in Toronto and on a Steel Company in suburban Mississauga to execute two search warrants for illegal drugs, under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and the Food and Drugs Act. The combined forces included members of the ORC Investigative Unit, the Ontario Provincial Police Illegal Gambling Unit, the United States Food and Drug Administration, Standardbred Investigations Services and the Toronto Police.

During the execution of the search warrants, authorities seized large quantities of controlled drugs and adulterated, unlabeled and/or violative substances, drug compounding equipment, as well as business records and computers. A prohibited weapon was also seized.

Products used for performance enhancement were seized, including the blood builder Aranesp, strong analgesics, bronchiole dilators and sildenafil citrate (generic Viagra).

Sandy DiFlorio, age 50, was charged with one count of possession for the purpose of trafficking under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and one count of possession of a prohibited weapon contrary to the Criminal Code. He will appear in Provincial Court at 60 Queen Street, Toronto, on May 23. A person with the same name and a Toronto address is shown in U.S. Trotting Association records to have been a member of Standardbred Canada back in 1997..

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