The Drug Free Sport New Zealand organization has already suspended more than 100 athletes after finding them to be named in a customer/client database of a convicted performance-enhancing drug peddler, and three more rugby players are finding themselves suspended by the same organization after their names have been uncovered.
These three players, Brandyn Laursen, Tukiterangi Raimona and Lionel Skipwith, are just the latest in a long line of New Zealand and Australian athletes to be linked to one of the biggest performance-enhancing drug busts in recent history. A man by the name of Josh Townsend had been running a distribution ring for clenbuterol, providing anabolic steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs to athletes from between 2013 and 2017.
Townsend ran an organization called NZ Clenbuterol and wasn’t ever shy about the fact that he was responsible moving these kinds of drugs. Primarily working with amateur athletes and bodybuilders, more and more semi professional and professional athletes are finding themselves caught up in the mix as investigators dig deeper into the records that Townsend’s on all of his clients.
The meticulous records that Townsend has kept every step of the way have been a huge asset for investigators. In fact, the Drug Free Sport New Zealand organization has gone on record stating that they haven’t ever seen an underground distribution ring like this with so many comprehensive records in regards to EVERY single transaction being recorded – especially with this much detail.
Townsend has been cooperating with authorities as they move through this investigation, but there is so much data to sift through that it’s been taking quite a bit of time to move things along. Townsend kept records of every single customer order over the five years that he was operation, and these three rugby stars were found to have been placing orders over three years ago.
Laursen was found making numerous purchases of clenbuterol in 2014 as well as 2015. Raimona was ordering Dianbol in January 2015 and March 2015, and Skipwith was found to have purchased a number of shipments of clenbuterol in the early stages of 2015 as well.
After being presented with the information related to these investigations, each of these three athletes immediately admitted to knowingly using the performance-enhancing drugs that they had purchased from Townsend.
Laursen and Skipwith, however, stated that they had no idea they were intentionally or knowingly violating anti-doping rules or regulations that would have them suspended from competition in rugby domestically as well as internationally.
Raimona admitted that he used the performance-enhancing drugs that he purchased, but stated that he had retired completely from professional competition in rugby in June 2014 with absolutely zero interest whatsoever in restarting his career at that point in time.
Raimona also reported that he had no idea that he remained bound to the anti-doping regulations of rugby even after he had retired, and wasn’t aware of the fact that his performance-enhancing drug use during his retirement would negatively impact his ability to play rugby a few months later when he retired – before retiring again.
Each of these three athletes were originally given a four year suspension from national and international rugby competition for using performance-enhancing drugs or attempting to use prohibited substances, but all three of them had their suspensions cut in half to just two years because they readily admitted their guilt and assisted the investigators every step of the way.
None of these three athletes are expected or anticipated appeal their suspensions. Raimona intends to remain retired completely from competition at this point in time, though it’s likely that the other two athletes will be interested in resuming their career after their 24 month suspension has concluded.
Source: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=12094479