A "chemsex" drug dealer whose package was intercepted by airport officials has been ordered to pay back just £9,000 after benefiting by £600,000. He initially claimed he was selling drug GBL as a cleaning fluid.
The offending of Joseph McLaggon, 37, of Barry, came to light when customs officials at Stansted Airport found GBL in a package destined for his home. Police learned McLaggon had imported around 1,000 litres of GBL in six months.
Taken just before or during sex to lower inhibitions and give a sense of euphoria, GBL has become popular in the gay chemsex scene. It is a chemical solvent that turns into the date rape drug GHB inside the body and can make users sleepy, as well as risking a fatal overdose.
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Police found around two grams of crystal meth in McLaggon's flat. He told a jury this was for personal use and that he had been running a legitimate business selling GBL as a solvent for cleaning products, but they rejected his explanations.
Messages found on his phones made clear he was supplying drugs for chemsex use. Selling small amounts of meth was a "sideline" to McLaggon's main business interest of importing and dealing GBL
McLaggon, of Subway Road, Barry, was convicted of importing a Class B substance and being concerned in its supply between April 2022 and his arrest that October, as well as being concerned in the supply of Class A crystal meth and possession of Class B cannabis. He was sentenced to five years imprisonment.
A Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Friday heard McLaggon benefited to the tune of £672,791, but only has assets worth £9,722. Recorder Dyfed Thomas ordered the defendant to pay that sum within one month or serve six months imprisonment in default.
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