A 61-year-old man has pleaded guilty after police uncovered more than 2,000 litres of GBL, a dangerous liquid drug associated with spiking and the chemsex scene.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) alerted the London Metropolitan Police’s Specialist Crime Unit after identifying a drug smuggling ring moving large quantities of GBL from Manchester to London. The operation also involved the supply of crystal methamphetamine from London back to northern England.
Investigators analysed months of phone data and focused on Ahoor Ramabark Fathi of Southall. They identified three addresses linked to him – two in Ealing and one in Southall – which were used to store drugs and cash.
In March, police arrested Fathi at one of these locations and raided a storage container he rented. Inside, officers found 188 boxes, each containing 12 one-litre bottles of GBL, totaling 2,256 litres.
Alongside the GBL, officers seized £100,000 in cash, 456 grams of crystal meth, ammunition, and a firearm at Fathi’s Ealing property.
Detective Inspector Mark Gavin of the Metropolitan Police said: “Controlled drugs have a devastating impact on London communities. This is one of the largest GBL seizures in the capital and halting its spread is a major win.”
He added, “GBL and crystal meth misuse link to serious crimes and often keep victims silent. We urge anyone affected to come forward. We will keep fighting organised crime groups supplying harmful drugs.”
GBL is known as a “date rape” drug due to its risks of memory loss and overdose. Both GBL and crystal meth are widely associated with chemsex, a high-risk drug-fuelled sexual scene.
The Metropolitan Police are working with charities, addiction experts, and health services to address drug harm sensitively, particularly within the LGBT+ community. New community liaison officers have been appointed to build trust and encourage reporting.
Fathi is due to be sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court on Tuesday, 23 July.
Originally published by UKNIP.
