Crypto scammer linked to world’s largest seizure of weight loss drugs

One of the founders of Paradox Metaverse, a crypto-based game that was dubbed a “scam” by crypto investigators, has been linked to an illegal weight loss drug operation in the UK.

At its height, Paradox, which was founded by brothers Amio Talio and Fasial Tariq, secured a livestream segment with IShowSpeed, a prominent games streamer with over 43 million followers.

Crypto investigator Coffeezilla subsequently dubbed the project a “Ponzi” and called the brothers “scammers.”

Now, an investigation by UK newspaper the Guardian has linked Tariq to an industrial estate unit in Northampton that was raided by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

The raid was reportedly the world’s largest seizure of illegal weight-loss drugs, and saw authorities take posession of a quantity of retatrutide — considered to be the “Godzilla” of weight loss jabs — along with £20,000 ($27,000), various raw chemical ingredients, and manufacturing equipment.

The street value of the drugs was worth £250,000 ($335,000).

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Tariq’s Paradox crypto firm linked in weight loss drug site

Once the Guardian discovered the location of the industrial unit, it found that Tariq was the company director of Wholesale Supplements Limited, the firm registered to the unit.

Investigators then discovered that customer orders for the weight loss jabs were made through the firm Ecommerce Nutri Collectiv, which shared an address with another firm listing Tariq’s name, Vantage Commercials Group Limited.

A link at the bottom of Ecommerce Nutri Collectiv’s page redirected visitors to Paradox Labs, a website previously archived as Paradox Studios, the studio behind Paradox Metaverse.

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Locals also claim that multiple high-end cars would frequently be parked outside the industrial unit. The Guardian notes that this may be another link to Tariq and Onyx, the Northampton luxury car rental company that he and his brother ran.

One source claiming to have inside knowledge of the weight loss drug trade said the products are cheaply made with little safeguarding for cleanliness and dose measurements.

The illegal operation, despite being hampered by the seziure last year, is still reportedly underway and active on Telegram. There are no offences or charges currently made against Tariq.