Illegal trade of steroids - a case study Karner

Povzetek Mnogi ljudje kratkoročno uporabljajo steroide za povečanje učinkovitosti, izčrpavanje hormonov ter proti staranju. V športih, kot je bodibilding, so steroidi tiho in široko sprejeti, a kljub temu strogo nadzorovani in brez veljavnega recepta tudi strogo prepovedani. Prodaja in posedovanje anaboličnih steroidov je zvezni in državni zločin, ki se kaznuje z zaporom. Kot pri večini pravnih politik je razlogov več, vendar je glavna skrb fizična in čustvena škoda, ki jo te droge lahko naredijo tistim, ki jih uporabljajo. V diplomskem delu smo se osredotočili na nezakonito prodajo steroidov, na pregled organizirane kriminalitete, analizo njenih temeljnih lastnosti in najpogostejših dejavnosti, na androgene anabolične steroide in njihovo (pre)prodajo ter v raziskovalnem delu izvedli študijo primera Karner. V teoretičnem delu naloge smo s pomočjo metode kompilacije, pregleda literature, predstavili najpomembnejše pojme, v empiričnem delu naloge pa smo uporabili kvalitativno metodo raziskovanja, kjer smo s pomočjo polstruktoriranega intervjuja raziskali distribucijo in nezakonito prodajo anaboličnih steroidov – študija primera Karner. Ugotovili smo, da je kriminalna združba Karner delovala od leta 2000 in je z nedovoljeno prodajo steroidov prek interneta, z uporabo globalne mreže spletnih strani in posrednikov v več državah, zaslužila več kot 50 milijonov ameriških dolarjev. Ugotovili smo tudi, da je preprodajanje anaboličnih steroidov potekalo iz več delov Evrope, da je bil njihov največji odjemalec Ameriška vojska, ter da zakonca Karner nista neposredno sodelovala pri preprodajanju anaboličnih steroidov. S temi ugotovitvami smo uspeli potrditi vse predhodno zastavljene hipoteze.Abstract Many people use steroids in the short term to increase their effectiveness, deplete their hormones and for anti-aging. In sports, especially at bodybuilding, steroids are quietly and widely accepted, but nevertheless strictly controlled and also strictly prohibited without a valid prescription. The sale and possession of anabolic steroids is a federal and state crime punishable by imprisonment. As with most legal policies, there are several reasons, but the main concern is the physical and emotional damage these drugs can do. Therefore, priority is given to human care. In the thesis we focused on the illegality of selling steroids, on the review of organized crime, the analysis of its basic properties and the most common activities, on androgenic anabolic steroids and their (re) sale, and in the empirical part we conducted a Karner case study. In the theoretical part of the thesis we used the compilation method, literature review to present the most important concepts, and in the empirical part, we used a qualitative research method, where we investigated the distribution and illicit sale of anabolic steroids through a semi-structured interview - a Karner case study. We find that the Karner criminal group has been operating since 2000 and has earned over 50 million USD through the illicit sale of steroids online, through the use of a global network of websites and brokers in several countries. We also found that the sale of anabolic steroids came from several parts of Europe, that their largest customer was the US Army, and that the Karner spouses did not directly participate in the sale of anabolic steroids. With these findings, we were able to confirm all of our hypotheses.