Revealed: the crypto entrepreneur linked to illegal weight-loss drug operation | Weight-loss drugs

Wedged between an air compressor service and a car repair shop in an industrial area of ​​Northampton sits an unremarkable red-brick unit that was, until recently, the base of a large illegal weight-loss drug operation.

In late October, law enforcement officers arrived here for a two-day raid, seizing thousands of unlicensed Alluvi brand slimming pens, raw chemical ingredients, manufacturing equipment, packaging materials and £20,000 in cash. Some pens were labeled as containing retatrutide – a potent GLP-1 agonist still in clinical trials, not approved for medical use but widely touted online as the next Mounjaro.

At the time, authorities described the operation as the largest of its kind in the world. However, months later, no arrests have been made and the person responsible for the operation has yet to be publicly identified.

Alluvi website remains online; over the Christmas period, he claimed products were unavailable due to “huge demand”. His Telegram channel is active and attracts thousands of members who seem to place orders daily. While the industrial zone is now closed, there are rumors that production has been moved elsewhere.

A Guardian investigation examined who might be behind the operation, revealing evidence pointing to links to a Northampton-based entrepreneur, Fasial Tariq, who has not been arrested or charged with an offense related to the operation. The Guardian reviewed documents linking him to companies associated with the sale of Alluvi products, as well as testimony from sources familiar with the illicit trade in weight-loss drugs.

Local people have identified the raided unit, although the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which led the operation, has not publicly confirmed its location. Northamptonshire Police described the address only as part of enforcement action by the MHRA and referred further questions to the regulator. Records show the unit is registered with Wholesale Supplements Limited. Fasial Tariq is listed as a director of this company. He provided no comment when contacted for this article.

Photographs of customer orders reviewed by the Guardian suggest Alluvi products were sold through a website trading as Ecommerce Nutri Collectiv. The site then lost its payment provider after Stripe terminated its services. Companies House records show that Ecommerce Nutri Collectiv Limited previously shared a registered address with Vantage Commercials Group Limited, a company formerly run by Tariq.

Clicking on the commercial name at the bottom of the Nutri Collectiv site redirects to the site of another brand, Paradox Labs. Archived pages reveal that it was previously known as Paradox Studio, a cryptocurrency company founded by Tariq.

The paradox was no stranger to controversy. Its cryptocurrency project, Paradox Coin, and Paradox Metaverse, a blockchain game to earn, have claimed to allow players to earn cryptos while playing – but sparked accusations of a scam from online critics. Crypto investigator Stephen Findeisen, known as Coffeezilla, publicly challenged Tariq and his brother in a YouTube interview, questioning the economic and promotional aspects of the project. Tariq denied marketing a get-rich-quick scheme.

Back in Northampton, the industrial area attracted attention for reasons beyond the raid itself. Social media images linked to Alluvi feature a distinctive bright green Lamborghini Huracán Spyder. Locals claim that luxury cars, including a Rolls-Royce, were frequently parked outside the raided unit. Tariq’s previous company, Onyx, specialized in high-end car rentals and chauffeur services.

Tariq himself has a history of driving offenses. In 2018, a Ferrari traveling at more than 130 mph on the M6 ​​was overtaken by a BMW registered to his company Onyx Executive Travel Ltd. When Tariq failed to identify the driver of the BMW, he was fined £1,185 and subsequently banned from driving for 12 months. He had only got his license back a few days earlier after being convicted of drink driving and driving while disqualified.

One man, who asked to remain anonymous but has extensive knowledge of the illegal trade in weight loss drugs, described the sector as chaotic, secretive and poorly regulated. He called those behind Alluvi “evil,” saying they “made noise from day one” and called attention to an underground supply chain.

“I know the printing company that makes the boxes [for Alluvi] In China,” he said. Orders, he claimed, could be placed easily. The products, he claimed, were assembled cheaply, with few concerns about sterility or dosing accuracy. He noted that the injectable pens, later filled with illicit weight-loss drugs, could be easily purchased on e-commerce sites.

The Alluvi case highlights a growing gap between law enforcement and legislation as illegal weight-loss drugs gain popularity. Regulators are struggling to keep pace with new substances, social media-driven sales and the fragmentation of online supply chains. Many products are sold as “research chemicals” or imported in quantities small enough to escape control, exploiting legal gray areas that allow suppliers to operate with impunity.

The MHRA said it does not consider claims that products are for “research purposes” if it is clear that such claims are being used to circumvent medicines regulations. If there is evidence in promotional materials that the products are in fact unauthorized medicines intended for human use, the regulator said it would take appropriate action.

Academics warn that complaint-based regulation moves too slowly. “At the moment it often feels like the worst that can happen is a slap on the wrist,” said Dr Piotr Ozieranski, reader in sociology at the University of Bath. “Meanwhile, the public remains at risk of serious harm. »

Dr Emily Rickard, a researcher at the University of Bath, said her research repeatedly found breaches of advertising rules in online weight loss services. “In early September I reported what appeared to be an illegal website selling retatrutide to the British public after seeing an advert on Facebook,” she said. “Facebook quickly removed the ad, but more than two months later the website is still online. This sets a deeply concerning precedent for patient safety.”

Ozieranski said regulators need to abandon reactive enforcement. “They should proactively investigate unethical practices and impose fines linked to the company’s turnover,” he said. “Right now, the system feels like it protects providers more than patients. »

Medical experts warn the risks are real. Retatrutide has not completed clinical trials, and unregulated injectable medications may be contaminated, improperly dosed, or improperly sterilized. Potential consequences include serious infections, pancreatitis, cardiovascular complications and dangerous fluctuations in blood sugar.

However, the MHRA does not appear prepared to take action against those involved in their raid, confirming that no arrests have been made in connection with Northampton. Asked about Tariq and any updates, the agency said it would not comment while investigations are ongoing.

sarah.marsh@theguardian.com