Noriega Crony Jailed in Probe of Steroid Lab

A man who said he was a business associate of Panamanian strongman Gen. Manuel Antonio Noriega was charged with tax fraud Wednesday for running a Tijuana laboratory that allegedly produced millions of dollars worth of illegal steroids.

Noriega is believed to be the main owner of Laboratorios Milano and could be prosecuted in the United States on charges related to the production of the illegal body-building drugs, a U. S. prosecutor said.

Juan Javier Macklis, president and general manager of the laboratory, was held at a Mexico City prison after his arrest by Mexican police Monday at the Mexico City airport, officials at the attorney general’s office told Reuters.

Macklis, 52, was charged with evading more than $600,000 in taxes and may face additional charges in connection with the laboratory, they said.

Macklis told authorities he met the Panamanian military chief two years ago and said Noriega’s profits from the steroid lab totaled $5 million, press reports said Wednesday.

His arrest followed an extended investigation by Mexican authorities and several other arrests, including that of Macklis’ son, during a raid on the laboratory in April.

According to U.S. court documents, a wide range of steroids were manufactured at the laboratory, and phony labels were pasted on the bottles to make them appear to be the product of legitimate U.S. and European manufacturers.

The steroids were then smuggled into the United States for sale and reportedly reaped millions of dollars in illegal profits.

Noriega invested $800,000 in the company in 1988, Macklis was quoted as saying.

Noriega, who survived a bloody coup in Panama City Oct. 3, is already wanted in the United States on drug-trafficking charges.