Gym boss made almost £1m by selling potentially deadly fat-burning pills from garden shed

A gym boss made almost £1m by selling potentially deadly fat-burning pills from his garden shed, a court has been told.

But prosecutors have agreed that Jamie George, who ran what was described as “a significant manufacturing operation” in his garden shed in Falkirk, has just over £30,000 left to be seized under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

In July 2023, George, now 33, was jailed for three years at Stirling Sheriff Court over the illegal enterprise.

The court heard he had been filling and selling 2,4-dinitrophenol capsules all over the world.

The court was told that dinitrophenol capsules – commonly known as DNP – is a highly toxic industrial chemical, used in the manufacture of explosives, insecticide, and in photographic developing.

A recent trend has seen bodybuilders use it for weight reduction, “fat burning”, and body sculpture, often in the days running up to musclemen and women contests.

On Thursday, depute fiscal Simona Gersheva said it had been agreed between prosecutors and George’s lawyers that the “benefit” he had gained from his illegal activities amounted to £937,635.73.

She said the amount available to be seized was £31,050.31.

Ms Gersheva tendered the court a joint minute agreeing on these figures.

Sheriff Derek Hamiton made a Proceeds of Crime Act confiscation order for the £31,050.31 figure.

James Moncrieff, prosecuting the case in 2023, said at the time that taking DNP put users at “high risk” of kidney failure, liver failure, coma, convulsions, and cardiac arrest.

The court heard that in June 2018, officers from Food Standards Scotland, acting on intelligence, raided George’s then-home in Redding, Falkirk, armed with a warrant.

Mr Moncrieff said: “The floor, walls and contents of the garden shed were all heavily contaminated and stained with a yellow powder.”

They found equipment, including disposable gloves, a capsule filling machine capable of producing 100 pills at a time, 10,000 empty capsule shells, nearly £1,500 in cash, and scores of completed Royal Mail Special Delivery slips.

Investigations showed George had been posting supplies to customers as far afield as Asia, Australia and the USA from Laurieston Post Office in Falkirk, where he was a regular customer, as well as more locally, to fitness fans who met him through his gym or internet chat rooms.

He also advertised online.

He was warned to stop but continued the operation.

He was arrested in October 2018 after a further raid on his home in Denny.

He told police he was aware that DNP was classified as a poison and was not safe for human consumption, and he was aware of the dangers of taking it – including that the lethal dose is not known.

The court was told that Muscle Hut’s accounts showed an annual turnover of £235,000.

Mr Moncrieff said: “A large proportion of that turnover is business related to supplements, and although a proportion of that is DNP, it is unclear how much.”

Another analysis identified the receipt of £50,000 of “suspicious money” over a one-year period, though again, how much of that was from DNP is unclear.

George pleaded guilty to culpable and reckless endangerment of life, by supplying the pills over four years between May 1, 2017, and October 8, 2021, from three properties in Falkirk including his two homes.

He was detained after a major criminal probe involving the Food Standards Scotland (FSS), Police Scotland and Falkirk Council, including a 2021 investigation by undercover police.

When he imposed the 37-month jail term, Sheriff Hamilton said George had continued in his activities after he had been told that the pills could have fatal consequences.

He said: “You were well aware of the dangers of DNP.

“You took no notice of that and continued your trade.

“All the evidence points to your gain being very significant.

“You knew some years ago of the dangers of DNP, but even with that knowledge, you continued to put people’s lives at risk.”

At least 33 people in the UK – two of them in Scotland – are said to have died after taking dinitrophenol.