Northborough Native Guilty in Federal Steroid, Meth and Firearm Case

Mark Taslakian, 52, who now calls Las Vegas home, stepped into Worcester federal court on Thursday and formally pleaded guilty to a string of serious federal offenses. He admitted to conspiring to distribute anabolic steroids, possessing more than 50 grams of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, and being a felon in unlawful possession of firearms.

The indictment painted a picture of a fairly elaborate operation. Prosecutors say Taslakian and his co‑conspirators tried to import multi‑kilogram loads of raw steroid powder from China, then turned the raw material into injectable and oral products. To make the scheme look legitimate, he coined the name “Nex‑Gen Pharma” and used it to market the steroids to buyers.

When law‑enforcement agents swept his former Northborough house, they found a trove that read like a crime‑novel climax: more than $500,000 in cash, a gold bar, assorted jewelry, countless packets of steroids and meth, packaging supplies, detailed ledgers and a basement safe stocked with seven firearms.

Under federal guidelines, the methamphetamine charge alone can carry a prison term anywhere from five to forty years. Both the steroid‑distribution conspiracy and the illegal‑firearm possession each have a maximum penalty of ten years, so the judge will have a wide latitude when setting a sentence.

Sentencing has been penciled in for Jan. 11, 2027. Until then, Taslakian remains in custody, and the case serves as a stark reminder that even seemingly “well‑honed” supplement businesses can mask far‑more dangerous criminal enterprises.