WESTLAKE : Man Indicted Over Sale of Steroids

A Westlake man has been indicted on charges of selling, transporting and possessing anabolic steroids, the district attorney’s office announced Thursday.

The Ventura County grand jury returned the indictment against David Walter Caramanis, 21, on Jan. 21, Deputy Dist. Atty. Gregory G. Phillips said.

Caramanis was arrested in May when police found between 100 and 200 loaded syringes, vials, ampuls and tablets of steroids in his car, Phillips said.

“This was not a big-time dealer,” Phillips said. “He sold mostly within his circle of friends, which apparently included some bodybuilders and athletes.”

Anabolic steroids are synthetic drugs, taken by some athletes who believe that they improve athletic performance. They have been found to cause liver damage and other harmful effects, and are controlled substances in the United States.

Caramanis is believed to have purchased the steroids in Mexico, Phillips said.

Caramanis is scheduled to be arraigned Feb. 11 at 8:30 a.m. in Ventura County Superior Court. He is free on bail.

The maximum penalty upon conviction is four years in prison, Phillips said.