#Horse dope dealers plead guilty in NYC

A pair of equine dope dealers on Wednesday pleaded guilty in Manhattan federal court to peddling drugs used to juice up racehorses.

Sarah Izhaki, 45, and Scott Robinson, 46, each copped to conspiring to unlawfully distribute adulterated and misbranded drugs used for doping racehorses.

“[They] represent the supply side of a market of greed that continues to endanger racehorses through the sale of performance-enhancing drugs,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss in a statement.

“Each of these defendants provided the raw materials for fraud and animal abuse through the sale of unregulated and dangerous substances.”

The duo conspired with others to produce, sell and ship millions of dollars worth of adulterated equine drugs — including performance-enhancing concoctions — that help steeds win races and coveted prize money, prosecutors said.

Izhaki’s drugs were smuggled into the country from Mexico and sold from cars in supermarket parking lots, while Robinson’s products were manufactured in shoddy facilities and peddled on direct-to-consumer websites, Strauss said.

The drugs included “blood builders” designed to increase red blood cell counts and the oxygenation of muscle tissue and pain relievers, both designed to improve a horse’s endurance.

But these unregulated drugs carried significant risks to the animals. In 2016, a dissatisfied customer sent Robinson a complaint.

”I give the injection and for about 36 hours afterwards both my horses act like they are heavily sedated, can barely walk,” the client wrote.

In a separate conspiracy, starting in 2018, Izhaki also sold amphetamines and a substance she called “the Devil” to mask the presence of drugs in the bloodstream.

The pair face up to five years in prison when they’re sentenced in the coming months.