Nicholas Boys, Mark Rosson and Eric Rudance, appeared at Southend Crown Court and were sentenced in relation to a number of charges concerning possession and supply of controlled drugs and prescription only medicines online. One also faced a charge of unauthorised use of a trade mark and the manufacture of controlled drugs.
The prosecutions arose as a result of a Medicines and Health Care Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) investigation into a website www.staymassive.com and number of other websites. As a result of their investigations, they conducted raids on two addresses in the Southend-on-Sea area.
Over 26,000 tablets of prescription only medicines, anabolic steroids and human growth hormones were seized during the raids, with a total value of in excess of £220,000. The homemade steroid products were labelled 'Medipharma' and when tested they were found to contain 'small or unpredictable quantities of their claimed ingredient'.
As part of the raids, the MHRA also seized laptops and mobile phones which were subsequently analysed and showed numerous enquiries concerning orders for large amounts of anabolic steroids and their raw materials including steroid powder.
Nicholas Boys was sentenced to a total of 18 months imprisonment, whilst Mark Rossan and Eric Rudance were each given a sentence of 6 months imprisonment suspended for 12 months and both are required to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work in the community.
These prosecutions come as part of an MHRA anti-counterfeiting strategy, which since 2007 has resulted in the conviction of over 20 individuals, and Confiscation Orders totalling in excess of £15 million pounds have been secured under the Proceeds of Crime Act. Their enquiries are both international and domestic. They work closely with other organisations such as the Metropolitan Police in closing down websites, the UK Border Agency to seize doses of fake medicines, and to raise public awareness by the use of the national press concerning the purchasing of medicines online.
