Alberta Naturopathic Doctor, Eldon Dahl, describing his home and family being raided at gun point and held for 11 hours by Health Canada and the RCMP; he called his lawyer and the lawyer told him to document with video or still camera everything they were doing and they would not allow him. He specifically names the types of vitamins and supplements that were evidence of illegal activity. The key point in the video is when Dr. Dahl says “you can get these supplements at any U.S. health food store.” These were not legal in Canada, and Dr. Dahl was in big trouble back in 2004, according to the account given at the end of this post.
More on the story:
B.C. man gets house arrest, $350,000 fine for selling 120 kg of the banned drugs
Courtesy The Globe & Mail
by Mark Hume
Vancouver Bureau
Monday, May 31, 2004 – The Globe & Mail, Page A8
Vancouver, BC — The biggest steroid smuggling case ever in Canada began when a Canada Customs agent at the Pacific Highway crossing in Surrey, B.C., grew suspicious of a seemingly innocent notation on an invoice.
The customs declaration said the package contained a shipment of health supplements including calcium pyruvate, a substance found in red apples, and inositol hexaphosphate, a chemical found in brown rice. But tagged on to the list of contents was this notation: “Candy Samples, no quantity, unit price is $2.00.”
It seemed out of place.
Tearing open the box intended for E.D. Internal Health, a supplier to health-food stores across Canada, agents found a gold tin labelled “19-nor-androstenedione.” Instead of finding a candy sample with health supplements, Canada Customs had stumbled on a shipment of powerful and potentially dangerous anabolic steroids.
In a small provincial courtroom in Surrey this week, Madam Justice Jean Lytwyn sentenced the importer of those drugs, Eldon Garth Dahl, to 18 months of house arrest and fined him and his company $350,000.
The 48-year-old businessman who lives in Langley, just outside Vancouver, could easily afford it. Over the past four years, Mr. Dahl sold more than $640,000 worth of steroids as he built his health-food wholesale company into a thriving business.
In an unusual legal twist, the Crown obtained a conviction without having found the majority of the drugs. Although 15 kilograms of steroids were seized in the package at the border crossing, and several more kilos were taken at an E.D. Internal Health warehouse where pills were packaged, most of the drugs had already been moved to retail outlets by the time customs agents showed up.
But the Crown was able to prove, through a paper and electronic trail of invoices and payments, that Mr. Dahl had smuggled — and sold — more than 120 kg of the potentially dangerous drugs.
The court heard that the biggest previous steroid-smuggling case was a 2001 incident at Vancouver International Airport, which involved 257,000 pills weighing just 1.28 kg.
Mr. Dahl imported nearly 100 times that amount.
Crown prosecutor Janna Hyman said company records indicate the steroids were sold to health stores across Canada, where they were marketed as nutritional supplements under a variety of names, including Health Solutions, International Health and Your Choice.
“The products . . . were marketed as health supplements that would increase sports performance and optimize the health of those who used them,” Ms. Hyman said in a sentencing submission.
“In most cases, they were marketed as alternatives to steroids and with minimal or no warning labels as to potential dangers and side effects.”
Among the steroids imported by Mr. Dahl, was androstenedione, the drug used by baseball player Mark McGwire when he set a home-run record in 1998. Androstenedione, androstenediol and prasterone, or DHEA, all of which were smuggled in by Mr. Dahl, are legally available south of the border but banned in Canada.
In her submission to court, Ms. Hyman said the drugs, which are taken by athletes to build muscle mass, pose a threat to those who use them.
“These anabolic steroids are extremely dangerous to human health and the side effects that are known to result from prescribed doses are aggravated to an unknown degree when they are ingested knowingly or unknowingly in a completely unregulated and unsupervised manner,” she said.
Ms. Hyman said the specific side effects include liver tumours, heart disease, sexual dysfunction, acne, immune system suppression and increased aggressive behaviour.
The Crown prosecutor also told the court that there is growing evidence that anabolic steroids can become addictive. She expressed concern about the way Mr. Dahl’s company was packaging steroids as health supplements, saying people could have been misled into thinking they weren’t dangerous.
In convicting Mr. Dahl on 33 counts of making false customs statements, smuggling and possession of controlled substances, Judge Lytwyn described him as “the mastermind” of a well-organized business that largely imported and sold legitimate health supplements.
She rejected the Crown’s call for a four-year prison term, saying Mr. Dahl had no record, was unlikely to reoffend and had lost his company because of the investigation.
Journal of Natural Food and Health 
I knew it would only be a matter of time before this would be happening in Canada. Actually Health Canada has been doing this before but less noticeably. Health Canada is doing now exactly what the FDA has been doing in the USA for years. This is a disgusting, not to mention expensive, unnecessary action against one man’s rights who was doing nothing wrong.
How do you as a taxpayer like paying all of these well-paid people for 11 hours to check out harmless herbs and supplements? And this does not count the many hours it must have taken to sift through all that they took away.
The items mentioned in the Search Warrant were natural products that actually help people with various health challenges. Don’t you think that Health Canada should be doing things to ensure we have available ANY products that are unharmful, uncontaminated and God-given and health-giving? Health Canada thinks they know better than God about what we should have. They have been taking health products off the shelves of health stores for years. Most of these are herbs that grow in the wild or can be grown in your backyard. Do I need protection from these products while it is ok to buy chemical-laden stuff from my grocer who, by the way, is never raided like this man in the video was. I am free to buy and lug home as many cancer-causing chemicals as I want but if I dare buy (or sell) and natural, health producing product, I could be raided.
So why is Health Canada doing this type of thing when it allows toxic drugs to be sold in Canada. An example is psychotic drugs for bipolar and other mental illnesses. Some of these drugs are causing terrible side effects such as feelings of suicide, rage and desires to kill others (homicide) yet are being sold every day. The man who cut off a man’s head was probably on a psychotic drug at the time and would never have done such a thing if he had not been on the drugs. The US woman who drowned her 4 or 5 children in the bathtub was on a psychotic drug. This is just two examples; there are thousands of others. Why is it ok to sell these drugs but it is not ok to sell a simple harmless herb.
If these herbs and supplements are virtually harmless and health-giving why wouldn’t Health Canada want us to have them? Are they supposed to be there for our good?
It is estimated that medically prescribed drugs kill approximately 16,000 people every year in Canada. Some say it is much higher. You could spend your lifetime searching for deaths caused by herbs and supplements and it is likely you would NOT find one and if you did it would be only be suspect and the report biased.
Are you saying that Health Canada does NOT have our health interests at heart? Yes, that is exactly what I am saying! Health Canada is also receiving money from pharmaceutical companies and Health Canada has been infiltrated by people from the pharmacuetical industries for years. Now almost all that Heath Canada does is for the benefit of the pharmacuetical industry which is probably the most immoral, cruel, nasty and most evil industry on the face of the earth. Oh no, the pharma industry and Health Canada doesn’t want you to die; they just want you to be sick as long as possible.
It is time that Health Canada is stopped. Call your political representative and a few others while you are at it. Also call Health Canada and tell them that you are paying them and they are working for you and that you will no longer tolerate them working everything against you.
Here’s my notice to Health Canada and the pharmaceutical industry::::
KEEP DOING WHAT YOU ARE DOING AND MORE OF IT. That way you will cause an uproar from the people and eventually you will no longer exist.
Helen
There was another man in Alberta who went through similar problems. He discovered that vitamins and minerals were far more helpful for his Bipolar daughter and son than prescribed drugs were. He formulated and sold a special supplement that helped a lot of people with depression and Bipolar. I think he still does. He was fought by Health Canada all along the way.
This man was either taken to court by HC or he took them to court, I don’t remember which but he won the court case. After that he turned around and was suing Health Canada. I haven’t heard the results of that. I hope he won.
What I want to say to Eldon Dahl …..
Fight Health Canada ALL THE WAY. Enlist the help of the public if money is an issue. Also keep in mind that you do not always need a lawyer for everything. The statement, “The person who defends himself in court has a fool for a lawyer” was made by a lawyer. There is a lawyer in BC who is fighting Health Canada every chance he gets …after he became a ‘believer’ in the health. You may email me if you wish (zhebee at yahoo dot com).
This email is for everyone who wants to fight Health Canada or the FDA.
One of the best ways to fight to keep health products is to talk about their benefits. This is called EDUCATION. So educate your fellow man every chance you get.
The more people who know about and want health products, the bigger will be the intolerance of such actions as described by Eldon Dahl. (In addition to what is in this post,
you must EDUCATE and let your feelings be known to your elected officials.)
IT IS EASY TO DO. If you have had results with a particular vitamin, herb or supplement, tell EVERYONE! If not, see my testimonial below and send it to everyone.
Post your testimonial (or mine) wherever possible such as this comments section. Join Yahoogroups.com. They have many different health groups and places where you could post. The internet has many places where you could post. While you are at it, direct people to this site to hear Eldon Dahl’s story. Of course, mail everyone on your email list. You could even send an email to everyone who spams you :))
I’ll start here with my testimonial….
About 20 years ago, I began having headaches more often than usual and did not understand why. I was taking pain killers more and more often. I began wondering why I was getting so many headaches. Was it hurting my brain? I wondered if it had to do with my sinuses like I heard on TV commercials so the next time I had a headache, I decided to take 2000 mgs of Vitamin C even though my nose did not feel plugged. In less than 20 minutes my headache was gone. I began taking the Vitamin C everyday to prevent the headaches and I am almost never bothered with headaches except when I forget to take my Vitamin C.
Then, I reasoned, if my sinuses were plugged before Vitamin C, the stuff in my sinuses must be sitting in there and putrifying and maybe even growing germs. Maybe these germs were what caused colds and a cold was nature’s way of clearing out the sinuses. After that, I began taking 3000 mgs of Vitamin C the moment I felt a cold coming on and I simply would not have that cold. I usually took another dose of 3000 mgs of Vitamin C about 6 to 8 hours later just to make sure or if there was slightest sniffle.
If you wait to take the Vitamin C hours after you noticed the cold coming on, chances are is that you will have to live through the cold but you can make it easier to tolerate by taking 2000 – 3000 mgs of Vitamin C every 3 or 4 hours. It helps to keep your nose from dripping and you sneeze less, etc. You can try lesser amounts of Vitamin C, if you wish. Smokers will need more. I was a smoker at the time.
Just in case you think this is a dumb idea, think about this… The Pharmaceutical industry are trying, through CODEX Alimentaires (do a Google Search), to make it difficult or impossible to get these supplements or herbs in any meaningful doses. Vitamin C, for example, would only be available in 200 mgs tablets. For the moment, we can still get Vitamin C in 500 mg or even 1000 mg tabs. I now take three 1000 mgs of vit c. At 200 mgs, I would have to take 15 tablets to get 3000 mgs. They may also regulate how many we can buy over a give time. On top of that, they might only be available through prescription making the costs prohibitive.
Remember, these vitamins and especially Vitamin C are completely harmless. Why would the Pharmaceutical people not want you to have them? BECAUSE THEY WORK!! The drug companies don’t want you to be well; they want you to be sick as long as possible.
I could tell you many other stories of miraculous results with vitamins, minerals and/or herbs, in my own life and in others in my circle of friends. A few examples….
–How to get rid of gallstones
–An herb that stops phantom pain in limbs of amputees.
–A seaweed (kelp) that helps to get rid of breast cysts and may be helpful in getting rid of other cysts and may help to prevent cancer.
–A supplement that helps get rid of Graves Disease
–Minerals that help to stop anxiety attacks.
–Supplement that stops High Blood Pressure
–Supplement that takes away Diabetes ll
–A B-Vitamin that prevents intolerance of the sun.
–A food that takes away gout.
–Smokers and drinkers and drug users (street drugs or prescribed drugs) all need more supplements than the ordinary person and will live longer if they take them. I am the perfect example. I used to smoke 2 – 3 pkgs per day. I should have been dead by now but I am still here.
–Etc, etc.
Helen,
I’m not sure if you are aware of this, but Eldon Dahl is NOT a licensed Naturopathic physician, and it is illegal to practice medicine without a license in Canada. This includes diagnosing disease and prescribing drugs, supplements or diets. The only people licensed to do this in Canada are Medical and Naturopathic doctors, and registered dietitians that have completed education at an approved school.
The police that raided his home HAD A WARRANT, and the details about what supplements he had in his possession are sketchy, for all the RCMP know, he could have been making crystal meth in his bathtub.
As for the man in Alberta marketing pills to treat serious psychiatric disorders, that man was taken to court NOT because of some pharmaceutical conspiracy or threat to your freedom, but because Health Canada has very strict rules about how and where supplements are made, and more importantly the claims that are being made to sell them. Regardless of weather or not someone believes that a supplement is “working” for them, it can’t be claimed to cure or treat any disease or disorder, unless rigorous testing has been done to ensure its efficacy. This PROTECTS consumers from harming themselves.
You talk of education, maybe you should pursue one? There are many great biological science and nutrition programs in Canada. Or at the very least, pick up a book on philosophy, and learn about the difference between TRUTH and belief.
This is the biggest farce! There are more “approved” products for sale on pharmacy shelves that cause collateral damage and side effects quite often worse than the problem being addressed! Just watch a few commercials on TV for such drugs and listen to the litany of side effects, cautions and disclaimers ending with “stop taking this drug and consult your physician or health care practitioner”. Yet doctors still mindlessly write scripts for such drugs and pharmacies still happily fill them and collect their fees. BIG PHARMA a.k.a. ‘the organ grinder’is running the show. The doctors and pharmacists and their mighty colleges are the ‘monkeys’!
Mr. Dahl has only proven that he is nothing but a delusional man who is constantly “persecuted” by everyone. He is a convicted drug dealer. Of course the RCMP is going to continue to monitor his activities. His previous elicit activities resulted in his home being raided, he basically invited the RCMP into their home, their bedroom, to his daughter’s house by bringing illegal drugs into our country and getting caught. He is no better than the crack, meth or cocaine dealers, he is a supplier who pushes his product to unsuspecting victims on the street. Think Mr. Dahl, would the RCMP even know who you were if you were not convicted of smuggling illegal drugs into the country in 2004. He is a lying, cheating unethical man who has no business whatsoever selling products not proven or approved by Health Canada. Do not ever do business with him as he will cheat you out of your money, threaten you with lawsuits and claim that he is the one unfairly treated. It is evident that this is a trend in both his and his family’s behavior and their dealings with the general public. Next time you get caught Mr. Dahl, I hope you rot in a jail cell and that nobody gives you the time of day to whine about your prosecution. Illegal drugs kill people, I know, I buried a loved one this year because of someone like you.
He is NOT a licensed ND.
Practicing medicine without a license is illegal.