A man living in west London has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for possessing one of the largest quantities of the date-rape drug gamma butyrolactone (GBL) ever found in the United Kingdom.

Ahoor Ramabark Fathi, 61, an Iranian national residing with his wife and two children, was arrested in March following a nationwide investigation led by the Metropolitan Police’s specialist crime unit. Law enforcement officials discovered more than 2,000 litres of GBL, valued at approximately £2.2 million, at a storage container he rented in Southall, west London. The search also yielded £107,380 in cash, 456 grams of crystal methamphetamine worth £50,000, a handgun, and a 9mm bullet.

The investigation was prompted by intelligence shared by Greater Manchester police, which indicated that significant quantities of GBL and crystal meth were being transported from Manchester to London. Prosecutors presented evidence at Isleworth Crown Court of a delivery of 100 litres of GBL to Fathi’s residence, underscoring the scale of the operation.

During the trial, Fathi admitted charges including possession with intent to supply Class A and Class B drugs, possession of a firearm and ammunition, and possession of criminal property. His defense lawyer, Alphege Bell, described Fathi as a refugee from Iran who fled persecution and noted that his client had suffered a serious assault in 2019 that required metal plates to be inserted in his jaw. According to Bell, Fathi began using drugs to manage the resulting pain.

Sentencing Fathi, Judge Karen Holt handed down a seven-year prison term for the drug offenses and an additional five years to run consecutively for the firearm and ammunition charges.