A UK-based cryptocurrency entrepreneur has been linked to what authorities are calling the world's largest seizure of illegal weight-loss drugs. The case, detailed in reports from The Guardian, connects Fasial Tariq, co-founder of the crypto gaming project Paradox Metaverse, to a pharmaceutical manufacturing and distribution ring.
In a raid on an industrial estate unit in Northampton, the UK's Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) seized retatrutide—a potent weight-loss drug nicknamed "Godzilla"—along with £20,000 in cash, raw chemical ingredients, and manufacturing equipment. The total street value of the confiscated drugs reached approximately £250,000 ($335,000).
Investigators traced a direct link between the illegal drug facility and Tariq's crypto ventures. Company records show Tariq served as director of Wholesale Supplements Limited, the firm registered to the raided address. Furthermore, customer orders for the weight-loss jabs were processed through Ecommerce Nutri Collectiv, which shared an address with another company listing Tariq's name. A website link from Ecommerce Nutri Collectiv redirected visitors to Paradox Labs, the development studio behind Paradox Metaverse.
This case is separate from another involving Craig Costello, who was implicated in a cocaine-smuggling operation. In that instance, authorities seized £4,012.21 in Ethereum Classic (ETC) from Costello under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA), stating the funds were "deemed proceeds of drug trafficking."
Paradox Metaverse itself has previously been labeled a "Ponzi" scheme by prominent crypto investigator Coffeezilla, who interviewed the project's founders, brothers Amio Talio and Fasial Tariq. The project had leveraged a livestream with popular streamer IShowSpeed to gain credibility before being exposed. To date, no criminal charges have been filed against Tariq in connection with the drug seizure, as the MHRA's focus was on the illegal pharmaceuticals.
The news has sparked concerns within the crypto community about potential increased regulatory scrutiny on the intersection of digital assets and illicit activities, though no major market disruptions or direct regulatory actions against crypto firms have been reported thus far.
