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North Wales Live
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- North Wales Live
The real life North Wales story behind new BBC drama Confessions of a Steroid Gang
A new BBC series has revealed how a steroid empire based in North Wales was dismantled, partly through a dodgy dog grooming shop set up to launder the money being made. Confessions of a Steroid Gang tells the real life story of Macaulay Dodd and his father Andrew who were jailed after their £1m steroid lab was uncovered. The three-part series reveals how Macaulay, portrayed by Rhondda-based actor Garin Williams, first became addicted to steroids at 15 in the pursuit to achieve the perfect body before he would go on to cook up £1.2m worth of the Class C drug. Although anabolic steroids are a Class C drug, there is an exemption for personal use. Struggling with his relationship with his dad following his parents divorce, Macaulay latched onto his older, gym-going brother and his circle of older friends. His trips to the gym soon turned into something darker when he began injecting steroids at 15, becoming addicted to build the perfect body. His dad, Andrew Dodd, was also struggling. A former Dee estuary fisherman, he was desperate to change his circumstances when he had a chance encounter with a man in the pub who introduced him to the world of steroids. Hearing that 1.5 million people in the UK were using the drug, he decided to get involved. The pair reconnected when Macauley was 18 and living out his car in Deeside before they moved to St Asaph, where they set up their steroid lab in a remote farmhouse. It started as a small scheme in a garden shed but quickly evolved into one of the UK's biggest underground steroid labs, Renvex. The pair were importing the raw ingredients, mainly synthetic testosterone, from China, and formed a network of members of the public who would accept parcels for them without asking questions. Join the North Wales Live Whatsapp community now Speaking on the show, Andrew said: "I didn't really class myself as a criminal. I'd just seen myself as a business owner." A police operation in London eventually led to the discovery of a large quantity of steroids in a flat belonging to Terence Murrell, an online dealer who was buying from Renvex. Documents at the home led police to find a payment to a dog grooming business that Andrew and Macauley had set up in Ruthin to launder the money. North Wales Police closed in on the father and son's operation. They were arrested in a dawn raid and police finally uncovered the lab at the centre of it all. Andrew said it "felt like a relief at the time", fed up of "deceiving" those around him. Both Andrew and Macauley were sentenced to spend five years in prison in 2018. Despite their court-room bust up, they spent their time in prison together, which Macauley said "saved" their relationship. Including testimony from steroid users, experts and those affected by the culture, Confessions of a Steroid Gang shows how image-obsessed social media, testosterone supplements and a booming black market collided and highlights the health risks of unregulated steroid use and addiction. Speaking on his involvement in the series, Garin Williams, who played Macauley said it was the "biggest project" he'd been involved in so far. "As an actor, you want to show as much emotion as possible on screen and with this story about Macauley's life I had a great opportunity to do so."
Wales Online
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
The real life Welsh story behind new BBC drama Confessions of a Steroid Gang
The real life Welsh story behind new BBC drama Confessions of a Steroid Gang The series tells the story of father and son Andrew and Macaulay Dodd who ran a million-pound steroid empire from the remote Welsh countryside A new series tells the story of Macaulay and Andrew Dodd who started one of the UK's biggest steroid empires from a farmhouse in North Wales (Image: BBC/Double Act Productions) A new BBC series has revealed how a steroid empire based in Wales was dismantled, partly through a dodgy dog grooming shop set up to launder the money being made. Confessions of a Steroid Gang tells the real life story of Macaulay Dodd and his father Andrew who were jailed after their £1m steroid lab in North Wales was uncovered. The three-part series reveals how Macaulay, portrayed by Rhondda-based actor Garin Williams, first became addicted to steroids at 15 in the pursuit to achieve the perfect body before he would go on to cook up £1.2m worth of the Class C drug. Although anabolic steroids are a Class C drug, there is an exemption for personal use. For the latest TV and showbiz news sign up to our newsletter Struggling with his relationship with his dad following his parents divorce, Macaulay latched onto his older, gym-going brother and his circle of older friends. His trips to the gym soon turned into something darker when he began injecting steroids at 15, becoming addicted to build the perfect body. His dad, Andrew Dodd, was also struggling. A former Dee estuary fisherman, he was desperate to change his circumstances when he had a chance encounter with a man in the pub who introduced him to the world of steroids. Hearing that 1.5 million people in the UK were using the drug, he decided to get involved. The pair reconnected when Macauley was 18 and living out his car in Deeside before they moved to St Asaph, where they set up their steroid lab in a remote farmhouse. Article continues below It started as a small scheme in a garden shed but quickly evolved into one of the UK's biggest underground steroid labs, Renvex. The pair were importing the raw ingredients, mainly synthetic testosterone, from China, and formed a network of members of the public who would accept parcels for them without asking questions. Rhondda-born actor Garin Williams plays Macaulay in Confessions of a Steroid Gang (Image: BBC) Speaking on the show, Andrew said: "I didn't really class myself as a criminal. I'd just seen myself as a business owner." A police operation in London eventually led to the discovery of a large quantity of steroids in a flat belonging to Terence Murrell, an online dealer who was buying from Renvex. Documents at the home led police to find a payment to a dog grooming business that Andrew and Macauley had set up in Ruthin to launder the money. North Wales Police closed in on the father and son's operation. They were arrested in a dawn raid and police finally uncovered the lab at the centre of it all. Andrew said it "felt like a relief at the time", fed up of "deceiving" those around him. Both Andrew and Macauley were sentenced to spend five years in prison in 2018. Despite their court-room bust up, they spent their time in prison together, which Macauley said "saved" their relationship. Including testimony from steroid users, experts and those affected by the culture, Confessions of a Steroid Gang shows how image-obsessed social media, testosterone supplements and a booming black market collided and highlights the health risks of unregulated steroid use and addiction. Speaking on his involvement in the series, Garin Williams, who played Macauley said it was the "biggest project" he'd been involved in so far. "As an actor, you want to show as much emotion as possible on screen and with this story about Macauley's life I had a great opportunity to do so." Article continues below All three episodes of Confessions of a Steroid Gang are available to watch now on BBC iPlayer.
Rhyl Journal
7 days ago
- Rhyl Journal
Series shows how North Wales steroid empire was dismantled
The three-part 'Confessions of a Steroid Gang' tells the story of Macaulay Dodd and his estranged dad, Andrew, who built a backyard steroid empire in St Asaph. What began as a chance to earn a few quid for the pair quickly became a global operation and a ticking time bomb. That was eventually undone, in part, by a dog grooming shop they set up to launder all the cash they were making. Andrew Dodd was a cockle fisher on the Dee estuary and was raising his two sons on his own following a divorce. A chance encounter with a man in a pub led to Andrew deciding to enter the steroid business, after hearing that 1.5 million people in the UK were using the drug. Anabolic steroids are classed as a Class C drug, but there is an exemption for personal use. After his parents split-up and his relationship with his dad was in pieces, Macaulay latched onto his older brother and a circle of bigger, older lads. What starts as gym trips and idol worship soon turns into something darker: steroid injections at 14, a growing dependence on 'gear', and an addiction to building the perfect body. While Macaulay found confidence in his growing physique, his dad Andrew was struggling. A former fisherman and cockle picker, he was broke, raising kids alone and desperate to change his circumstances. That's when he met a man in the pub who introduced him to the underground steroid scene and he saw a way out. It's illegal, but he thinks it will be easy. Raw powders shipped from China. Homemade labs set up in sheds. High margins and low risk – at least to begin with. The father and son duo reconciled when Macauley was 18 and living out of his car in Deeside. They upped sticks and moved to St Asaph, where they set up shop in a remote farmhouse, and the lab was born. Including testimony from steroid users, experts and those affected by the culture, 'Confessions of a Steroid Gang' shows how image-obsessed social media, testosterone supplements and a booming black market collided and highlights the health risks of unregulated steroid use and addiction. Episode one - which airs at 9pm tonight (August 12) on BBC One - traces how Andrew and Macauley come together to form what would become one of the UK's biggest underground steroid labs: Renvex. Selling to gym-goers from around the world they tap into a booming market driven by unobtainable body ideals. What began as a small-time scheme in a garden shed morphs into a lucrative operation involving Chinese imports, a home lab, fake websites and shady distribution networks. Speaking on the show, Andrew said; "I didn't really class myself as a criminal. I'd just seen myself as a business owner." A police operation in London led to the discovery of a large quantity of steroids in a flat belonging to Terence Murrell, an online dealer who was buying from Renvex, run by Andrew and Macauley. Documents at Murrell's home led police to find a payment to a 'dog grooming business' in Ruthin and the walls began closing in on the North Wales operation. Call history among customers showed Andrew's name on the logs and police tailed him from there on out. Both he and his son were arrested and police discovered what was a million-pound operation - something which Andrew said 'felt like a relief at the time' as he had been 'deceiving' his family and friends. Both Andrew and Macauley were sentenced to spend five years in prison in 2018. Speaking on the series, Macauley says that their time in prison together 'saved' their relationship. Andrew added: "I've paid for what I've done. It wasn't right, I know that and I'd never do it again." The first episode of 'Confessions of a Steroid Gang' airs at 9pm tonight on BBC One. Alternatively, you can watch all three episodes on BBC IPlayer.
