Lactic Acid Action: Gym in Stockholm on anti-doping bust

Of: Sophie Tanha

Published: October 19, 2020 at 6:44 p.m.
Updated: October 19, 2020 at 7:55 p.m.

Recently, the police have raided several gyms for doping substances and drugs.

Operation Lactic acid, as the operation is called internally, can also be part of the fight against other crimes.

– We see a direct connection between doping and violent crime, says operations manager Ted Eriksson.

It can be found in any gym. Insats Lactic acid has made inroads in recent days at both large gym chains and smaller niche workout facilities in Stockholm.

Ted Eriksson in Norrmalmspolisen is the chief of police operations during Operation Lactic Acid.

– Often when we read about brutal crimes, such as serious violent crimes against women, it is about doping, he says.

Photo: ANDREAS BARDELL

Ted Eriksson in Norrmalmspolisen is the chief of police operations during Operation Lactic Acid.

Criminals in the gym

Several notable murders of women are mentioned as examples.

– Many people think that they only take drugs for themselves, to achieve certain masculine ideals, or because they love bodybuilding. But doping increases the risk of violent crime.

Operation Lactic Acid also found several cases of drug offenses in their strikes, which is not surprising.

– It usually works with several different preparations, you can take tramadol to avoid body aches or hashish to relax. There is a production and sale of this that contributes to other crimes and disturbances in society, says Ted Eriksson.

When the operation reached the last of five days, eight gyms in central Stockholm were visited by uniformed police officers and civilians. Eleven people are suspected of doping offenses. Four for drug offenses. Police work in the gym is similar to nightclub inspections.

– We have noticed that there are criminals who go to the gym for purposes other than training. There is drug trafficking in the gym, this week we found cocaine but we suspect that there is also hashish, says Ted Eriksson.

Mansideal skeva

In addition to advice from the public and also from the gym in question, it is often possible to look at a person if the large muscles have been created by unnatural methods.

Some training profiles may even post their routines on social media, where the police note that muscle development is faster than normal. Profiles also lead to a biased ideal among the young people who follow them.

– I thought those who doped would be older than what we notice here, but many are under 20 years old. You more or less start your training habits with doping. The male ideal makes you want to see results quickly, says Ted Eriksson and continues:

– Then it can lead to other preparations being mixed. It can end unhappily, like a vicious cycle.

Published: October 19, 2020 at 6:44 p.m.