Deputy Darrion Holiwell was a 19-year veteran employed by the King County Sheriff’s Office in the State of Washington. Holiwell was considered one of the top competitive match shooters in the United States. Given his expertise as a highly skilled marksman, Holiwell was designated the Lead Firearms Instructor for the King County TAC-30 Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team.
Physical strength is in high demand at the TAC-30 SWAT team, so it would come as no surprise that its members would seek every performance-enhancing advantage at their disposal. And of course, anabolic steroids would be a logical choice.
The TAC-30 SWAT is tasked with duties and responsibilities that regular cops are ill-equipped to handle. Top performance is critical when they are called in situations involving counter-sniper activity, counter-terrorism operations, hostage rescue security for diplomatic in government officials and many other high-risk and dangerous jobs.
“If things get really bad, you call the SWAT team,” Holiwell once told the ‘Washington’s Most Wanted’ television show. “Bad guys, we’re a gang too. A well -equipped gang and a well -trained gang as soon as they unleash us, go hide; guaranteed. We’re coming to get you.”
Holiwell decided that he would not only take steroids himself, he would also buy extra so that he could resell them to several other SWAT team deputies. This guaranteed the King County TAC-30 would be the most elite and most jacked SWAT team in the country.
‘British Dragon’ was the undergorund lab (UGL) of choice for the steroid-dealing Holiwell. When investigators raided his home in Seattle and his workplace at the KCSO’s Ravensdale Firing Range, they found several vials of British Dragon steroids including testosterone (Andropen 275), boldenone undecylenate (Boldabol), stanozolol (Stanabol-50), testosterone propionate (Testabol Propionate 100) and drostanolone propionate (Mastabol).
The police corruption investigation by the King County Sheriff’s Office culminated in the arrest of Holiwell on June 19, 2014. Senior Deputy Prosecutor Gary Erndorff begged the judge to deny bail to Holiwell because he feared Holiwell would start killing all of the witnesses.
“The State also has significant concerns for the safety of the community and the witnesses who have cooperated in the investigation and whose identities will be revealed,” Ernsdorff told the court. “By all accounts, the defendant is a highly skilled marksman.”
Prosecutors charged Holiwell with one count of Violation of the Uniform Controlled Substances Act (VUCSA) and second-degree charges of promoting prostitution.
It turned out that Holiwell considered his first ex-wife to be a nymphomaniac who enjoyed having multiple sex partners during their ‘open marriage’. Since she enjoyed sex so much, Holiwell thought she should get paid for it. He pimped out his wife on Backpage.com and collected 80% of the revenue from her escort business.
It was this same first ex-wife who first alerted investigators to Holiwell’s steroid use and steroid dealing. The estranged first wife told KCSO investigators that Holiwell had been using steroids, human growth hormone (hGH) and clenbuterol regularly over the past 6-7 years.
King County Sheriff John Urquhart was disgusted by the extent of the police corruption and crimes by Holiwell. He fired Holiwell on July 15, 2014.
“Darrion Holiwell violated his oath, the trust of his fellow deputies, and the trust of the citizens of King County,” said Urquhart. “He does not deserve to be a police officer.”
However, Sheriff Urquhart decided not to pursue any charges against the other TAC-30 SWAT team deputies who bought steroids from and injected steroids alongside Holiwell. Urquhart admitted that prosecuting other steroid deputies could decimate the SWAT team below the minimum 20-member requirement.
Judge Bruce Heller sentenced Holiwell to pay $45,000 in restitution and serve 17 months in prison at the Monroe Corrections Center.
If anabolic steroids are being widely used to help elite athletes perform at superhuman levels, perhaps elite law enforcement officers should also be able to benefit from the use of performance-enhancing drugs in their war against dangerous criminals who threaten society.
But as long as the use of anabolic steroids for muscle-building and performance-enhancing purposes remains illegal, steroids must remain off-limits to cops. Law enforcement officers who use steroids becomes vulnerable to corruption and participation, to varying degrees, in the black market for anabolic steroids.
The Complete Series: When Your Local Cops Are Steroid Dealers
- Part 1 – The Newton Police Department
- Part 2 – The Philadelphia Police Department
- Part 3 – The Arlington Police Department
- Part 4 – The West Yorkshire Police Department
- Part 5 – The Niagara Regional Police Service
- Part 6 – The West Palm Beach Police Department
- Part 7 – The Boston Police Department
- Part 8 – The King County Sheriff’s Office
- Part 9 – The Secaucus Police Department
- Part 10 – The Edmonton Police Service