Awwal 02, 1432 H/Feb 05, 2011, SPA -- German customs officials have seized illegal growth hormones and performance-enhancing drugs worth millions of euros in their biggest crackdown yet on the international doping industry, a spokesman said on Saturday. Raids in the state of Hesse turned up 10 million euros (14 million dollars) worth of illegal pharmaceuticals last September, dpa quoted Spiegel news magazine as reporting. The customs spokesman confirmed the report, and said additional raids had been carried out, which were the subject of ongoing investigations. Frankfurt customs officials were pursuing gangs who distributed illegal preparations online, he added. Spiegel reported that top athletes were amongst the customers supplied over the course of years by one black market company. One of the people running the operation had been arrested and was being held in police custody. The drugs, which were produced in India, were distributed in hotels in Frankfurt, fast food restaurants and the internet, according to Spiegel. They were bought by people in Europe and the United States.
