It has long been suspected that Driven Sports Craze was spiked with an unlisted stimulant, although no one could have guessed quite how sinister the stimulant would turn out to be. In light of the AX Slim Xtreme controversy, it was widely assumed that if an insidious company owner would decide to spike one of their supplements, it would probably be with a non-phenylethylamine compound along the same lines as 1,3-DMAA. The latter compound is minus the benzene ring and therefore would be less likely to fall under the umbrella of the Federal Analog Act. Due to its structural dissimilarity, a non-phenyl derivative would also generate very little attention from of the FDA for at least a few years.
Not to be deterred by the thought of a lengthy prison sentence, the owner of Driven Sports decided to release an alpha-alkylated phenylethylamine nearly undetectable with most forms of drug testing. Not only does this compound produce low cross-reactivity while intact, but that its metabolites do not share overlap with conventional amphetamine metabolites - nor even ephedrine. The compound is called N, alpha-diethyl-phenylethylamine. It is 2 carbon atoms away from methamphetamine, and 1 ketone away from a popular bath salt. Overall, the alpha-ethyl substituent would produce less dopaminergic effects, while the N-ethyl group would marginally insulate the amine from rapid deamination. The end effect would be strong CNS effects, long lasting stimulation especially when coupled with caffeine, and with minimal addictive potential..
Background
In early 2012, Patrick Arnold tested Craze and found that it contained N-Benzyl-2-Phenylethylamine, in addition to another compound he could not positively identify without a reference (more on this later). When Patrick announced on various forums what he had found, he received notice from Matt Cahill's lawyers to cease public communication about Craze.
In retrospect, Matt Cahill's over-reaction to the news about Patrick's discovery should have been a huge red flag. After all, N-Benzyl-2-PEA is 1) found in nature and 2) extremely safe from being classified according to the Federal Analog Act. Instead of quieting speculation at the true contents of Craze, the legal notices simply fueled conjecture and skepticism. More importantly, however, is that the legal threats made adamant enemies out of those who would otherwise be indifferent.
In late 2012, supplement retailers in Australia began to receive notice from the Australian government that Craze was being restricted from import due to the presence of a "methamphetamine analog." Since the notices were not public record, the Driven Sports team easily deflected the charges as based on flawed testing procedures.
Coincidentally, also during this time period, the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) banned a professional rugby player named Troy Errington for using an extremely unique amphetamine analog that has only rarely been referenced in the literature. Interestingly enough, Mr. Errington placed blame on DS Craze. Indeed, Australia's National Measurement Institute confirmed the presence of the compound in Craze. Similarly, the Swedish government banned the importation of Craze into Sweden based on independent laboratory reports from the Swedish National Lab for Forensic Science.
While these stories were breaking, Patrick Arnold decided to re-test his Craze sample and match it to the referenced mass spec for this particular analog. Not surprisingly, it was a perfect match.
Driven Sports explanation for the magnitude of evidence against them involved an international counterfeiting conspiracy. (The Law of Parsimony may suggest that a counterfeiter producing a more effective product using a nearly untraceable designer stimulant is the height of absurdity, it did not detract from their legion of fans). They even had lab tests to prove their innocence. Despite no chain of custody for these tests, the tide of public opinion was swinging back in favor for Driven Sports.
All of their excuses would come to light, however, when Ron Kramer of ThermoLife International would decide to produce a reference standard for this compound. According to Matt Cahill, the owner of Driven Sports, only they had a reference standard for N, alpha-diethyl-phenylethylamine, and therefore only they could prove or disprove its presence in Craze. (Although, one might wonder why they had a reference standard for it in the first place...). Now that Ron Kramer also had a reference standard, the truth could be explored more fully. No longer could Matt Cahill point towards an elaborate European counterfeiting scheme, since Ron Kramer would purchase his Craze samples directly from authorized dealers of Driven Sports in the United States.
In mid-June, Ron Kramer posted the first series of results from Craze testing:
