Fitness influencer Nathan Williamson charged over massive steroid bust after cops allegedly found huge haul worth millions following ‘bungled deals’

A prominent fitness influencer and business owner allegedly directed the sale of steroids and other drugs, including to an undercover police officer, under the online nickname 'Flame King', a court has heard.

Team Future Muscle owner Nathan Williamson and personal trainer Daniel Tenace faced Melbourne Magistrates Court on Saturday charged over the alleged largest ever quantity of steroids seized by police.

Police are said to have found millions of dollars worth of steroids and drugs and more than $300,000 in cash at the addresses of both men, as well as at a gym in Port Melbourne and a property in Flemington in the CBD.

Officers attacked Mr Williamson, 32, at Crown Towers on Melbourne's South Bank on Friday after an extensive months-long investigation into drugs allegedly circulating in the city's gyms.

Police allege Mr Williamson and Mr Tenace, who both work as personal trainers, bought drugs from overseas suppliers before selling them to hundreds of Australian customers from a unit in the Port Melbourne area.

“We have obtained CCTV footage of both Williamson and Tenace coming and going to and from that address on South Wharf Dr, Docklands with large boxes and parcels,” Detective Constable Melanie McNamara told the court.

“The address was set up almost like a distribution center for medicines, which were registered in their name with Australia Post prepaid tracking bags and labels. This is all still being processed by the police.'

Both men, who have no criminal history, were granted bail by Magistrate Daniel Muling after their mothers Naomi Williamson and Rosaria Weimer agreed to post hundreds of thousands of dollars as surety.

Under their bail conditions, both men are required to report to police twice a week, stop seeing each other and surrender their passports. There is also a curfew from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.

The arrest comes more than eight months after police first launched an investigation into the alleged distribution of performance-enhancing drugs in Melbourne gyms, starting on April 5.

Police officers later executed a search warrant at a unit on Napier St in Essendon for an unrelated matter when they noticed a package being delivered with a return address in Yarraville.

The package reportedly contained a cocktail of controlled substances, including testosterone. Police then searched the man's phone and found emails saying 'Next Knows Pharma' and 'Flame King'.

Police tracked the package back to the Australia Post Business Hub in Port Melbourne, where CCTV allegedly captured Mr Williamson sending the package to Essendon and several others on August 7.

Over the next three months, police continued to track multiple packages containing various drugs allegedly delivered by Mr Williamson and Mr Tenace from the Port Melbourne CBD.

On August 28, an undercover police officer called in Next Knows Pharma to request the purchase of steroid-based products. The next day they received a message from 'Flame King', who police claim was Williamson.

The following week, police recovered from the requested locker a package sent from the Port Melbourne CBD allegedly containing a number of drugs, including testosterone.

CCTV footage from the post office allegedly showed Mr Tenace delivering the package, along with about ten others. The employee proceeded to purchase more items that were sent for analysis.

On October 20, a homeowner claimed a package had been delivered that did not belong to him. They reportedly found a large quantity of liquid vials after opening one of the packages.

'A man had gone to their address to collect the package… They left a number and came back the next day. When the resident asked what the bottles were, the man said they were medications,” the facts allege.

'The packaging appeared to be the same as in a previous incident and CCTV footage of the address was obtained. The man was later identified as Mr Tenace. The phone number was the same as a previous incident.”

Police were told by Australia Post that several people had complained about parcels being sent to their address, with staff telling officers that Mr Williamson and Mr Tenace had collected the parcels that had been refused.

Officers eventually attacked Williamson while he was with someone else in the Crown Towers on Friday. The duo had not been seen the day before after checking into the room around 3 p.m.

The pair accompanied police to the home address of Mr Williamson, father-of-two, on South Wharf Rd. Mr Tenace's address, located on the same road, was the first to be searched.

Inside, police allegedly discovered a huge stash of drugs scattered throughout the apartment, including steroids, diazepam, Cialis, growth hormone and various types of prescription medications.

A further search of Mr Tenace's car is said to have revealed more bottles of steroids and Australia Post receipts. Mr Tenace was arrested and transported to Melbourne West Police Station.

Police carried out further searches at another address on South Wharf Dr, listed in the name of Mr Williamson's mother, where they allegedly found further large quantities of packaged anabolic steroids.

Detective Constable McNamara said police were still at the address and did not have a 'definitive number' on what they might have found there, but said they had reportedly further located Valium and a suspected peptide at Mr Williamson's nearby address.

More than $130,000 in cash was also found at Mr Williamson's address, although the court was told some of the money could have come from a payout Mr Williamson received from Victoria Police.

A search of the Crown Towers room also reportedly uncovered two phones, an iPad, two small crystals believed to be meth, as well as cash, and several credit and debit cards, also in someone else's name .

Ms McNamara told the court she could not give an estimate on how long the analysis of the contents would take, and said police would also issue arrest warrants to a number of banks.

The quantity of drugs seized was so large that detectives will have to return to the address a second time. Investigators also searched a gym in Port Melbourne where they also reportedly found a large quantity of illegal steroids.

The pair were charged with a range of offenses including trafficking in a commercial quantity of prescription drugs, trafficking in anabolic steroids, trafficking in diazepam and knowingly dealing with the proceeds of crime.

A 37-year-old woman was also arrested and charged with possession of methamphetamine. She was granted bail to appear in the Melbourne Magistrates' Court on February 26, 2024.

Victoria Police said it will take investigators several days to count and weigh the drugs and cash, but the stash is believed to be worth millions of dollars.

Detective Inspector Patrick Watkinson said the steroid bust was the biggest the state had ever seen.

“We have discovered a state-of-the-art drug distribution center, the largest of its kind in Victoria,” he said.

'What caught our attention is that they are allegedly selling drugs to organized crime figures, not only profiting heavily from this, but also facilitating their lavish lifestyle.

'The community may think that dealing with performance-enhancing drugs is harmless, but we are looking at the bigger picture here: tackling all aspects of organized crime, including the people associated with it.

'We want this to send a message to those who associate themselves with people linked to organized crime. If you are connected, even in the slightest way, your activities are more likely to be detected.

'This work is about limiting the networks and connections of organized crime figures. We want those causing harm in our community to feel the pressure from all angles.

'Medications should be provided by licensed doctors and pharmacists, and not by personal trainers in a gym.'

ACT Policing also executed a number of arrest warrants on Friday and arrested a group of people allegedly involved with the syndicate.

NSW Police also executed a number of arrest warrants in connection with the alleged drug ring.

More charges are expected to follow.