It?s a rare arrest in Maryland: Large quantity steroid distribution.
But that?s just what Michael Schlanger, 47, of Catonsville, stands accused of after a bust at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York led authorities to the Glen Burnie fitness club personal trainer.
Schlanger stands accused of conspiring to distribute 40,000 units of anabolic steroids, a federal grand jury alleged in a September indictment.
He allegedly imported thousands of vials and tablets of illicit muscle enhancers from overseas and sold them throughout the Baltimore region and on the Internet.
Court documents allege Schlanger, an employee at Bally Total Fitness in Glen Burnie, imported the drugs through the mail for resale.
The conspiracy came to light in July when customs agents at John F. Kennedy Airport intercepted packages of steroids addressed to “County Crafts.”
One package was from China, another from Britain.
Federal authorities, assisted by Anne Arundel County police, set up a sting at a UPS store in Severna Park, arresting Pierre R. Gumucio and his girlfriend, Rachael Ann Martin, when they arrived to retrieve the packages, officials said.
Inside their car were bags of clear glass vials of suspected steroids, orange pills and a book marked “ANABOLIC,” court documents state.
Gumucio told investigators he received two to three packages a week for Schlanger from China, court documents said.
Schlanger could face up to five years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
Andrew Alperstein, Schlanger?s defense lawyer, did not return a phone call seeking comment.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
