London: An Indian-origin man in the UK has been found guilty of being part of a criminal gang believed to be one of the world's most prolific smugglers of anabolic steroids. Gurjaipal Dhillon acted as a fixer for the group, arranging dozens of unlicensed shipments of drugs from India into Europe, according to Britain's National Crime Agency (NCA) which led the investigation into the gang. The 65-year-old from Southall in west London faces years in jail after he was found guilty of conspiring to import a Class C drug following a six-week trial at the Old Bailey court in London on Wednesday. He, alongside Mumbai-based Danish national Jacob Sporon-Fiedler who has earlier pleaded guilty, are due to be sentenced on July 15.

"Gurjaipal Dhillon was part of a conspiracy to illegally import huge amounts of anabolic steroids into the UK on an unprecedented scale. His role in that conspiracy was a crucial one, essentially organising the transport for the drugs and enabling them to be shipped to the UK,¿ said Rob Burgess, NCA regional head of investigations. "We believe this organised criminal group to be the most prolific of its kind ever uncovered, probably the biggest global players in the illicit anabolic steroid market,¿ he said. National Crime Agency officers believe the group, headed by Jacob Sporon-Fiedler as the CEO of an India-based pharmaceutical firm, have smuggled at least 42 tonnes of illicit anabolic steroids into the UK. The NCA investigation began in 2014, following a seizure of around 300 kilos of the Class C regulated drug by Border Force officers at Heathrow Airport.