A man has been jailed

A man has been jailed after the Met secured one of the largest ever GBL seizures in London

A man has been sentenced for 12 years following a Metropolitan Police investigation which uncovered more than 2,000 litres of GBL, a liquid drug which is linked to spiking and the chemsex scene, and more commonly known as the “date rape drug”.

Following an investigation into a series of drug offences in the northwest of England, Greater Manchester Police passed intelligence to Detectives from the Met’s Specialist Crime Unit, suggesting large qualities of GBL was being transported from Manchester to London, alongside the supply of crystal meth from London to Manchester.

Officers examined months of phone data to establish the involvement of the offender of Willowbrook Road, Southall. On Friday, 17 April at Isleworth Crown Court he pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply Class A and Class B drugs, possession of a firearm and ammunition and possession of criminal property.

Officers located three addresses – two in Ealing, and one in Southall – linked to the offender that were believed to be used to store significant amounts of drugs and money. Police attended one of the addresses on Wednesday, 18 March where he was located and arrested on suspicion of the supply of controlled drugs.

Following his arrest, officers searched a storage container rented by the offender and found 188 boxes, each containing 12 one litre bottles of GBL (2,256 litres).

GBL and crystal meth are synonymous with chemsex behaviour and can be used in chemsex environments. Adverse effects to the user can cause memory loss, addition, and overdose leading to GBL being well known as a “date rape drug”.

Further items including £100,000 in cash, 456g of crystal meth, ammunition, and a firearm was also found at his property in Ealing.

His conviction comes as part of the Met Police’s sustained focus on reducing harm arising from the inextricable link between drug supply and organised crime in London.

Drug supply causes significant harm to communities across London and is often linked to exploitation, violence and other serious criminality. This seizure represents one of the largest quantities of GBL recovered in London and has prevented a substantial amount of the drug from reaching our streets.

As officers and staff build A New Met for London: Phase two, LGBT+ Community Liaison Officers have also been introduced to ensure every LGBT+ person living or working in the London is confident to report crime, seek help and share their concerns.

He was sentenced for 12 years at Isleworth Crown Court.