Fasial Tariq, co-founder of Paradox Metaverse nicknamed “Ponzi” by crypto investigator Coffeezilla, has been linked to what British authorities are calling the world’s largest seizure of illegal weight-loss drugs.
Summary
- British authorities have seized £250,000 worth of illegal weight loss drugs linked to a crypto gaming founder.
- Fasial Tariq was linked to companies operating from the Northampton facilities raided.
- Coffeezilla previously called Paradox Metaverse a Ponzi after investigating the project.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has raided an industrial estate in Northampton.
They seized retatrutide (dubbed the “Godzilla” of weight loss injections) as well as £20,000 ($27,000) in cash, raw chemical ingredients and manufacturing equipment.
The street value of the seized drugs reached £250,000 ($335,000). Paradox Metaverse, founded by brothers Amio Talio and Fasial Tariq.
They also did a live broadcast with IShowSpeed, a streamer with over 43 million followers, before Coffeezilla denounced the project as a scam.
An investigation by the British Guardian newspaper traced links between the raided facility and Tariq’s crypto projects.
Company records link Tariq to raided facility
The Guardian found that Tariq was a director of Wholesale Supplements Limited, the company registered with the industrial unit raided.
Investigators discovered that customer orders for weight-loss vaccines were being fulfilled by Ecommerce Nutri Collectiv, which shared an address with another company listing Tariq’s name: Vantage Commercials Group Limited.
A link at the bottom of Ecommerce Nutri Collectiv’s website redirected visitors to Paradox Labs, a site previously archived as Paradox Studios, the development studio behind Paradox Metaverse. The web trail directly linked the illegal drug operation to Tariq’s crypto gambling project.
Residents reported that several high-end vehicles would frequently park outside the industrial unit. The Guardian noted that this could be linked to Onyx, the Northampton luxury car rental company that Tariq and his brother operated.
A source claiming to have extensive knowledge of the weight-loss drug trade told investigators that the products were made cheaply with minimal protection around cleanliness and dose measurement. The illegal operation remains active on Telegram despite the seizure last year.
Metaverse Paradox Called “Ponzi” by Investigators
Coffeezilla interviewed the orchestrators of Paradox Metaverse and concluded that the project operated like a Ponzi scheme. The crypto investigator called the brothers “scammers” after examining the project’s structure and promises.
Paradox Metaverse billed itself as a crypto-based game, but was accused of making unsustainable return promises to investors. The project leveraged the massive success of IShowSpeed to gain credibility before crypto investigators revealed the operation.
No offenses or charges have been filed against Tariq. The MHRA raid focused on seizing illegal pharmaceuticals rather than investigating links to cryptocurrency projects.
Retatrutide is a new generation of GLP-1 weight loss drugs sold without proper licensing or medical supervision.
