Seven men have been handed prison terms exceeding a combined 21 years after an MHRA investigation uncovered a sophisticated criminal network that supplied more than 130,000 doses of illegal steroids and prescription-only medicines worth an estimated £1.8 million.
The ring was based in a flat above commercial premises on St Helens Road in Bolton, which operated as a storage, packaging and distribution hub for mail-order sales of performance-enhancing drugs and unauthorised pharmaceuticals. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s Criminal Enforcement Unit led the operation, which began after UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) flagged a website linked to the Bolton area that was suspected of selling illegal medicines and steroids.
Sentences handed down at Bolton Crown Court
Zaheer Oomer, who is unemployed, pleaded guilty at an early stage to all charges, including money laundering to the value of £99,893, and was sentenced to four years and seven months. Rizwan Atcha, a health and safety advisor; Imtiaz Atcha, a former bank manager; and Matthew Williams, a care worker, each pleaded guilty at the start of the trial in June 2025. Rizwan Atcha admitted money laundering to the value of £772,112 and received a suspended sentence of 18 months, an electronically monitored curfew and 250 hours of unpaid work. Imtiaz Atcha, who laundered £117,733, was given the same suspended sentence and conditions. Matthew Williams, who admitted laundering £221,349, received a suspended sentence of 24 months, a curfew and 250 hours of unpaid work.
Three other men pleaded not guilty and stood trial. Abdul Khan, a scrap metal dealer who is also an undefeated professional super-featherweight boxer and a cousin of former world champion Amir Khan, was found guilty on 7 July 2025 of conspiracy to supply class C drugs (four years), conspiracy to supply unauthorised medicinal products (18 months concurrent) and money laundering (three years consecutive), totalling seven years imprisonment. Saddym Shahid, a mechanic, was found guilty of the same charges and received an identical seven-year sentence. Rajendra Patel, a scrap metal worker, was found guilty of money laundering involving £229,061 and received a suspended sentence of 24 months, a curfew and 250 hours of unpaid work.
The investigation: from a suspected website to a Bolton flat
The MHRA’s criminal enforcement team traced the network after UKAD identified a website linked to the Bolton area that was suspected of selling performance-enhancing steroids and other illegal medicines. Investigators followed the supply chain to a flat above commercial premises on St Helens Road, where they uncovered a large-scale operation selling drugs by mail order. The haul included steroids as well as prescription-only medications such as tamoxifen, finasteride and modafinil.
Tim Duffield, MHRA Head of Intelligence, said: “This was a well-organised operation that put people at real risk. Medicines bought outside regulated channels can be unsafe, ineffective or fake.”
The case is part of a broader MHRA crackdown on illegal medicine sales. In 2025 alone, the agency seized nearly 20 million doses of illegally traded medicines with a potential street value of almost £45 million, including large quantities of sedatives, painkillers and erectile dysfunction treatments. Its financial investigators denied criminals access to more than £2.1 million in assets linked to the illegal trade in medicines. The MHRA also works with internet service providers to remove illicit online sales; in 2025 it removed over 1,200 social media posts, and an AI algorithm developed with eBay identified and blocked more than two million violations of policies on prescription-only and non-compliant over-the-counter medicines.
UKAD’s Head of Intelligence and Investigations, Mario Theophanous, said: “Disrupting the supply of illegal performance-enhancing drugs is central to protecting sport. Our intelligence officers work in partnership with regulators and law enforcement to identify and dismantle the criminal networks that make these substances available. That collaboration is a vital part of how we keep prohibited substances out of sport, and away from elite athletes and young people.” UKAD received 185 reports of suspected doping in 2025 through its “Protect Your Sport” whistleblowing initiative.
The dangers of unregulated steroids and prescription medicines
The products supplied by the network were prescription-only medicines, meaning they should only be used under medical supervision. Anabolic steroids — class C substances under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 — are sometimes taken without medical advice to increase muscle mass and improve athletic performance, but the NHS warns they can cause serious side effects and addiction. While personal possession of anabolic steroids is not illegal, it is an offence to manufacture, supply, or possess them with intent to supply, and to import or export them if believed to be for supply. The maximum penalty is 14 years in prison and an unlimited fine. Importing steroids via mail order from outside the UK became illegal in 2012.
Medical experts warn that misuse of anabolic steroids can lead to heart attack, stroke, liver or kidney problems, high blood pressure, addiction, and withdrawal symptoms including depression and anxiety. In women, side effects can include excess hair growth, decreased breast size and menstrual problems. In men, potential effects include reduced sperm count, shrinking testicles and baldness.
The network also distributed other prescription drugs that carry their own risks. Tamoxifen is an anti-oestrogen used in breast cancer treatment; finasteride is used for enlarged prostate and male pattern baldness; and modafinil is a wakefulness-promoting agent for narcolepsy and other sleep disorders. When taken outside regulated medical channels, these medicines may be counterfeit, contain harmful substances or incorrect dosages, and can cause severe adverse reactions.
Separate from anabolic steroids, the MHRA has been seizing growing numbers of counterfeit and unlicensed weight-loss injections — more than 6,500 such products since 2020. In October 2025, a factory in Northampton manufacturing counterfeit weight-loss jabs was raided and over 2,000 unlicensed pens were seized. The agency has also confiscated more than 27,000 units of unlicensed dermal fillers since January 2020, valued at up to £4 million, which dermatologists have warned could cause disfigurement and infection. In June 2025, 25 botulism cases were identified in North East England linked to unlicensed cosmetic injections.
Even other types of steroid medication, such as corticosteroids like prednisolone, can cause serious side effects when misused — including increased appetite, weight gain, mood swings, thin skin, muscle weakness, delayed wound healing, osteoporosis, diabetes, high blood pressure, glaucoma, cataracts and mental health problems.
The MHRA urges people to buy medicines only from trusted and regulated sources, such as a pharmacist.