COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA -Three people were sentenced to anywhere from two- to a little more than four years in prison last Friday in U-S District Court in Council Bluffs, for their role in the distribution of muscle building drugs. 31-year old Jeffrey B. Lackas, of Bettendorf, 39-year old Stanley Szeto, of Iowa City, and 30-year old Daniel Cruz-Bonilla, of Fontana, CA., were sentenced for conspiracy to distribute anabolic steroids.

Lackas, Szeto, and Cruz-Bonilla were members of a drug trafficking organization responsible for the distribution of anabolic steroids and human-growth hormones throughout the country. Between July of 2011, and March of 2015, the organization operated under the internet name of “Brinkkmann Pharma,” and the defendants distributed anabolic steroids and human- growth hormones obtained from a source in China.

Lackas was sentenced to 46 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Szeto was sentenced to 25 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release and imposed a $6,000 fine. Cruz-Bonilla was sentenced to 41 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Each defendant was ordered to pay $100 to the Crime Victims’ Fund.

The Omaha Police Department in Nebraska, Douglas County Nebraska Sheriff’s Office, Iowa Division of Narcotic Enforcement, Nebraska State Patrol, Iowa City Police Department, United States Border Patrol, United States Postal Inspection Service, and Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.