THE RING-LEADER behind an operation which involved selling steroids and prescription medication has been jailed.
It comes after police raided the home of Nicholas Boys, in Thornford Gardens, Southend, and found the drugs worth about £211,533.
They were being sold globally via websites including staymassive.com, anabolicsteroidsonline.com and massfarmer.net to keen body builders.
Boys, now of Arundel Gardens, Westcliff, was jailed for 18 months for being the leader of the business over a period of 15 to 18 months.
Southend Crown Court heard he has since been working as general manager at a gym in Benfleet where he advises members on nutrition.
Bodybuilders Eric Rudanec and Mark Rossen receiving suspended sentences because they had a lesser role in the operation.
Christopher Faulkes, prosecuting, said: “The unlawful supply of such drugs in the manner carried out by these defendants, no screening or no warning of the dangers, gave rise to a very real risk of dangers to health.”
Southend Crown Court heard a myriad of websites had been used, which needed systems such as Sage Pay and Barclaycard for payments to be made.
This meant that when one payment-facility company became suspicious and cut them off, they could divert their supplies through another website..
To try and avoid this problem Rossen used the name of his company, Rapid Car Cleaning Supplies, based in Leigh, to make the transactions appear legitimate for one of the websites. But this ruse came to an abrupt end after Barclaycard became suspicious and carried out a test purchase.
Police also found a text message sent by Boys which indicated he was moving into producing drugs himself.
The court heard Rudanec had a further £90,000 of products including anabolic steroids.
But he had only been involved on a lower level with the postage and packaging, and payments via Western Union.
His defence said he had only made about £250 a week.
He has since been working as a personal trainer, although he has no qualifications his defence said he used his experience as a body builder.
The court heard the website Rossen was involved with only made £33,000 and after he had split the profits and paid overheads he was left with just £7,000.
Maria Dineen, mitigating for Boys, said he had got into it to pay off tens of thousands of pounds in debts his father had incurred due to a gambling addiction.
Boys, 27, Rudanec, 50, of Southchurch Avenue, Southend, and Rossen, 43, of Prittlewell Chase, all pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class C drugs and prescription only drugs.
Boys also admitted producing anabolic steroids and unauthorised use of a trademark.
Rossen and Rudanec were given a six month prison sentence suspended for 12 months and 150 hours unpaid work.
A Proceeds of Crime Act hearing is set to happen in July next year.