THOUSAND OAKS : Judge Rules Search for Steroids Illegal

A federal judge has thrown out evidence against a Thousand Oaks man charged with selling mislabeled experimental bodybuilding drugs because federal authorities illegally searched his house, the man’s attorney said.

U. S. District Judge Edward Rafeedie ruled this week that federal agents did not have adequate permission to raid the home of Lawrence Wood in December, 1990, when they confiscated a variety of chemical compounds, said Wood’s attorney, David A. Katz.

The agents said they had made the biggest seizure of illegal steroids in Ventura County history.

The ruling is a major blow to the federal case against Wood, a former Rockwell research scientist. State and local cases against Wood alleging that he was selling steroids were dropped in the spring.

“The case went down in flames in the state, and now it’s going down in flames in federal court too,” Katz said. He said federal authorities bungled the case when they asked a Spanish-speaking housekeeper in English if they could search the home. The housekeeper did not understand their request but allowed them to enter, he said.

Federal officials could not be reached for comment.

Wood was charged with mislabeling the substances GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyrate) and Clenbuterol, both used as substitutes for anabolic steroids, which are illegal for non-medical uses but are sometimes taken by athletes to improve performance. Possession of the drugs is not a crime.

Katz said Wood uses the substances in longevity experiments.

“He likes to do research on living longer,” Katz said. “That’s all this case is about.”