A Midland nutrition shop owner nicknamed ‘Big Dog’ who smuggled illegal steroids worth up to £300,000 into the Black Country has been spared an immediate jail sentence.

Kunil Chand owned the Your Protein store in Wolverhampton and was the mastermind behind the importation of the banned performance enhancing substances.

Police have been investigating 28-year-old Chand, from Oakland Road, Penn, since 2014 and arrested him after discovering steroids at his business premises.

He was handed an 18 month prison sentence at Wolverhampton Crown Court, suspended for two years after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supplying Class C drugs.

Satnam Sahota, aged 38, stood trial for his part in Chand’s smuggling business.

The court heard that Sahota, from Hales Crescent, Smethwick, was recruited by Chand after a chance meeting on a flight from India.

The steroids that Chand imported.
The steroids that Chand imported.

He agreed to track shipments for Chand to help pay off his own gambling debts.

However, when a consignment of banned steroids supplied from India and destined for the Wolverhampton business was seized at Birmingham Airport in 2014, Chand’s scheme began to unravel.

Birmingham Airport
Birmingham Airport

And following a raid on his shop on Clark Road, Wolverhampton in December 2014, up to £300,000 worth of illegal substances were found.

Sahota, who professed his innocence throughout the trial, was found guilty of conspiracy to supply Class C drugs and received a one year jail sentence suspended for two years.

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Investigating officer Detective Constable Alex Gascoyne, said: “Large amounts of steroids were imported from India destined for Wolverhampton and a warrant executed in December 2014 at the Your Protein store led to the recovery of drugs with a street value of between around £200,000 - £300,000.

“The consequences for people taking these steroids could have been extremely serious and we are pleased we were able to remove them from the streets and stop both Chand and Sahota from continuing their dangerous trade.”