RUSHVILLE – Authorities raided a Rushville home Tuesday and discovered what federal agents call the largest anabolic steroid lab in Indiana history.
David Starkey, 39, and his wife Holly Starkey, 34, were charged with dealing a controlled substance along with four additional charges.
In newly filed court documents, David Starkey admitted to distributing steroids across the United States after a friend in North Carolina connected him with a guy named “Z” in Poland in 2013.
Z would pay him $10 per package of vile’s that he distributed and $5 per package of pills he would distribute for Z in the U.S, Starkey said. The Rush County man admitted that he later began manufacturing steroids and distributing them.
Starkey told police he figured it was illegal but with no money and no job, he had to “do what he had to do.”
Rushville Police, U.S. Postal Service Inspectors and the DEA worked together during the Starkey investigation. Court documents reveal they set up a controlled delivery Tuesday morning at the residence on E S.R. 44 in Rush County.
An undercover officer conducted a package delivery at the home. A minute after the delivery was made authorities served a search warrant at the house. Investigators say it led them to finding an active lab in the bedroom. Police said they found $9,058 at the home, which Starkey said some of the money is from drug proceeds but not the entire amount.
While David Starkey was at the Rushville Police Department his wife Holly, arrived and was later interviewed by investigators. According to court documents, she first denied there was an active lab in the bedroom and said she was unaware her husband’s involvement with illegal drugs.
She referenced the family may have had financial trouble and told investigators “she knew David was up to no good.”
Detectives say the Rushville suspects may be part of a much larger international operation with several moving parts and participants.
