Fadi Hussain: Jailed Sheffield drug smuggler was 'fitness influencer' flogging $127 per month fitness programs

The 38-year-old Sheffield man convicted of attempting to smuggle £9,000 worth of heroin into Britain is a social media influencer with nearly 100,000 followers, The Star can reveal.

Following an extensive police investigation, Syed Hussain, aged 38, of Greenhill Main Road, was forensically linked to packages and envelopes used to import drugs from Pakistan.

The packages, which contained heroin, were bound for three addresses in Sheffield but were detected and intercepted at the Post Seizure Unit in Berkshire in February 2019.

Hussain was arrested in December 2020 and denied all the charges against him throughout the investigation.

However, on April 19, he was found guilty of concealing a Class A drug with intent to evade prohibition on importing. The verdict came after a four-day trial at Sheffield Crown Court. He was sentenced to seven years in prison.

PC Gareth Webb, an officer involved in the investigation, said: “Despite overwhelming forensic evidence, Hussain denied any involvement in the illegal importation of this large quantity of heroin.

“As a team of investigators and detectives we are pleased that Hussain is now safely behind bars for many years and that this quantity of dangerous substances was intercepted before it could cause harm to the lives of others.

“We will continue to clamp down on those who seek to supply drugs in South Yorkshire and we will bring offenders before the courts to secure justice.”

Going by the name of Fadi Hussain, Syed had developed a following as a fitness influencer, with nearly 100,000 followers across TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and Youtube.

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Syed produced numerous videos explaining workout techniques, but also promoting the use of steroids including one surrounding Trenbolone Acetate - an anabolic steriod used in veterinary medicine to promote muscle growth in cattle.

Using Trenbolone is illegal in many European countries and in the United States of America, but is a Class C drug with no personal use or possession penalties in the United Kingdom.

Syed would direct followers to his website where he sold numerous fitness programs, online coaching and workout products. One product, an online coaching platform named ‘The Dojo’, had 37 members subscribed for $127 per month.

Followers could also purchase 60 minute “consultation calls” with Syed, which were being sold at a reduced price of £250 at the time of writing, down from £450.