Aurora man gets 2 years for manufacturing, selling steroids

A west suburban man was sentenced to two years in federal prison for manufacturing steroids out of his Aurora home and distributing them.

Christopher Hickson, 25, previously pleaded guilty to one count of drug conspiracy and one count of money laundering, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.

In October 2013, U.S. Customers and Border Protection agents intercepted a Chinese parcel addressed to Hickson’s residence, prosecutors said. A lab analysis revealed that the parcel contained about 436 grams of the powder Stanozolol, a steroid classified as a Schedule III controlled substance.

A search of Hickson’s home in November 2014 revealed steroid powder, more than 1,000 vials filled with liquid steroids and hundreds of steroid pills and capsules, prosecutors said. Hickson labeled his steroid brand “Rift Labs” and “truelab,” and distributed the pills to more than 100 customers in the United States and Canada.

The case against Hickson was part of “Operation Cyber Juice,” a federal investigation that targeted the illegal importation of steroids bought overseas and manufactured in the United States.

In addition to the two-year prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Andrea R. Wood ordered Hickson on Monday to pay $100,000 personal money judgement.