India Steps Up Anti-Doping Fight: NADA Intelligence Tip Leads To Najafgarh Raid, Banned Steroids Seized

In a major success for the National Anti-Doping Agency's (NADA) Intelligence & Investigations (I&I) unit, a tip-off from the body resulted in the confiscation of several prohibited substances, including anabolic steroids like methenolone and stanozolol, in Najafgarh following a joint operation, that included the local police.

The joint task force was led by Central Food Safety Officers (CFSOs) and also featured Food Safety and Standards Authority of India's (FSSAI) officials, who cracked the whip on Friday following specific intelligence from NADA.

Approximately 2,800 capsules/tablets and 11 injectable units of prohibited substances, including anabolic steroids – Methenolone Enanthate, Trenbolone, and Stanozolol – were recovered.

Three hundred Methandienone and 850 Oxandrolone tablets along with 1,500 Selective Androgen Receptor Modulator (SARMs) capsules were recovered from the premises of Gaurav Vats Nutrition, which is run by one Gaurav Vats.

All these substances are steroids banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) as they can be abused for building muscle mass to gain unfair performance advantage.

Injections of Adenosine Monophosphate, a prohibited hormone and metabolic modulator that helps endurance, were also among the recoveries.

WADA President Witold Banka, who was recently in India for a conference on Intelligence and Information gathering operations of the world body, had stated that India is the world's largest producer of banned Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs).

"The State Drug Control Department has taken custody of the drugs and drawn samples for formal legal proceedings," the police stated.

A NADA source said it was informed about the presence of these banned substances by a "reliable source". The body said it subsequently initiated a targeted investigation into the matter.

"The substances procured by NADA were sent to the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) for analysis. Laboratory findings confirmed that the substances were WADA-prohibited, and were additionally found to be contaminated with other prohibited substances, indicating serious concerns regarding quality, safety, and deliberate adulteration," said the source.

Following this, regulatory bodies were alerted for "necessary intervention and further action under applicable laws."

"Intelligence-driven investigations and inter-agency collaboration continue to play a critical role in identifying and dismantling networks involved in doping and illegal supply chains," the source said.

Banka, during his visit, had acknowledged the efforts being made to address the doping problem in India, describing them as "sincere". However, the country's abysmal record remains a major concern given its ambition to become an Olympic host in 2036.

India has been topping the WADA's annual list of dope offenders for the past three years and was recently placed in Category A by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), which means that Indian athletes must now comply with more stringent anti-doping stipulations because of the "extremely high" risk of doping in the country.

The WADA President had emphasised on the need to crack down on suppliers of banned substances besides ramping up testing figures. WADA has a tie-up with INTERPOL to target supply chains and has launched 'Operation Upstream' to disrupt the illegal market run by "organised crime networks".

The operation has so far covered over 20 countries, including India where CBI is an active partner in intelligence gathering. The WADA said it has so far dismantled 88 illegal labs and seized 90 tonnes of PEDs, effectively preventing 1.8 billion such doses from reaching the market.

Expired supplements also recovered

In addition to the illegal PEDs, FSSAI officials also identified severe violations regarding health supplements sold at the Najafgarh premises without a valid food license.

"The raid uncovered 45 kg of expired Gainers and Whey Protein." Another 85kg of non-expired protein and Creatine have been confiscated for "further safety inspection."

"FSSAI has initiated separate proceedings for violations related to food safety standards, storage, and the sale of expired products."