A businessman accused of supplying party drugs to London’s chemsex scene used rented storage containers off the North Circular to stash more than £500,000-worth of illegal substances, a court has heard.
Afshin Alikhani, 42, imported hundreds of litres of GBL into the UK from a Dutch supplier, and used lockers at Big Yellow Self Storage and Safestore at Staples Corner off the A406 near Brent Cross shopping centre to store the bottles.
He is now on trial at Harrow crown court, accused of supplying crystal meth and GBL to customers across London in an operation said to be worth hundreds of thousands of pounds.
Alikhani, a director of AP Import Export Limited, admits importing GBL and storing it, but says he did not realise it was illegal and believed it was a cleaning product.
Opening the case, prosecutor Richard Reynolds said: “This is about the drug trade, particularly the trade in drugs known for chemsex which is normally sex parties that go on.
“The drugs are used to advance the abilities of people to take part in those parties.”
Jurors heard a French border official discovered a box of GBL bottles destined for one of the storage unit in north London in April 2020. More parcels containing bottles of drugs were stopped at Birmingham Airport by Border Force in October of that year.
The court heard 268 litres of GBL was recovered in a police raid on the Big Yellow storage unit, along with more than £30,000 in cash and jelly containing viagra.
Mr Reynolds said “somewhat unfortunately for the defendant” a further 90 litres of GBL were delivered to the storage unit the day after the police raid, which were instantly seized. Police were also led to the Safestore locker where another 90 litres of GBL was found, along with a hot plate and induction hob where traces of crystal meth were found.
Alikhani was arrested in November 2020, when more bottles of GBL were found in his Honda Civic car along with a package of crystal meth discovered in a tool box in the vehicle.
Mr Reynolds said in his police interview Alikhani “denied any knowledge that any of the substances were illegal drugs.
“He said he believed the bag of crystal meth was an antihistamine. He said he thought GBL as a cleaning product.”
The prosecutor said Alikhani suggested the money - £31,285 in cash – “came from a Covid Bounce Back loan provided by the government”.
Jurors have been shown WhatsApp messages from an iPhone said to belong to Alikhani, allegedly displaying the mechanics of the drugs trade.
Messages allegedly show drop-offs at King’s Cross station, an Elephant and Castle hotel, and residential addresses in Marylebone, Tooting, Stockwell, and off Oxford Street, together with agreements to pay thousands of pounds.
Retired Met Police detective Mark Wright, giving evidence as a drugs expert, said GBL has the nicknames G, Gina, and Water, and he highlighted one of the messages allegedly sent to Alikhani with a request for “G water”.
“They are asking for good quality crystal meth and they are asking for G water”, he said. “It clearly shows that the meeting took place and the handover of drugs was successful.
Mr Wright said the messages come from October 2020, when there was a recognised shortage of illegal drugs on London’s streets after a major law enforcement operation infiltrated the Encrochat messaging system and shutdown a large number of organised crime groups.
Explaining the drugs to the jury, he said GBL is “used in the chemsex scene, normally men having sex with men and at weekend parties. They are looking to stay awake all weekend, with drugs taken.”
He added: “GBL is what I call a horrible drug. If you take it yourself and you are unaware or don’t know the doseage, you are likely to put yourself unconscious or into a coma.
“The reason it is taken within certain groups is it releases any inhibitions, it relaxes them, and as long as it is taken in a controlled and measured way, carefully, there can be no issues.”
Alikhani, who has an address in Cardiff, denies being concerned in the supply of class A drugs, possession of class A drugs, two charges of possession of class C drugs, possession of class C drugs with intent to supply, three counts of fraudulent evasion of a prohibition on the importation of goods, and possession of criminal property.
The trial continues.
