Inside the Underground Steroid Network Tied to a Major Wellness Brand

Wellness Brand's Ambassadors Exposed Running Illegal Steroid Operation on Telegram

A disturbing investigation has uncovered how fitness influencers publicly representing a prominent global wellness company are secretly operating an underground steroid marketplace on the encrypted messaging platform Telegram.

The wellness brand in question, Gencore Global, markets itself as a forward-thinking health movement, offering consumers a range of products including skincare items, hair-loss remedies, coaching services, and dietary supplements. But behind that polished public image lies a far more troubling reality.

A Double Life Hidden in Plain Sight

Investigators identified approximately twelve individuals connected to Gencore Global — including brand ambassadors, affiliates, and employees — collectively reaching over 180,000 followers across TikTok and Instagram. These same individuals have been found actively promoting anabolic steroids, prescription medications, and experimental peptides through a secretive Telegram network that originally operated under the name Rohm before being shut down and relaunched as Anabolic By Nature.

When an anonymous user in the chat asked whether the new group was connected to Rohm anabolics, a Gencore ambassador confirmed it directly: "Yeah this is Rohm, just rebranded the chat."

The network's administrators have made little effort to conceal their activities, with one exchange even acknowledging the illegal nature of the operation. When a user complained about the website being unreliable, an admin responded bluntly: "Imagine running an illegal business and expecting it to be up 24/7."

What Is Being Sold — and Why It's Dangerous

Anabolic steroids are laboratory-made versions of testosterone, the primary male sex hormone. They are widely used in underground fitness communities to accelerate muscle development, boost physical strength, and shorten recovery times between training sessions. While their short-term performance benefits are well documented, the health risks associated with unsupervised use are severe.

Potential consequences include suppression of the body's natural testosterone production, infertility, severe acne, accelerated hair loss, aggressive mood swings, depression, elevated blood pressure, heart disease, and liver damage.

Beyond anabolic steroids, the Telegram channels have been found advertising testosterone replacement therapy, human growth hormone, the weight-loss medication tirzepatide, the prescription acne treatment tretinoin, and unregulated experimental peptides such as BPC-157 and TB-500 — substances that are illegal to market with medicinal or wellness claims in many jurisdictions.

Conversations within the group show ambassadors casually endorsing these substances to members. In one exchange, an anonymous user asked about dosing for a recovery product. Two Gencore ambassadors both vouched for the same protocol, with one claiming it "completely fixed" them and another saying it "sorted my shoulder right out."

The Man at the Top

Perhaps most alarming is the direct involvement of Gencore Global's own founder and chief executive, Darren Wicks. At least six administrators of the Anabolic By Nature channel share usernames or profile images with known Gencore representatives, and Wicks himself has been identified as actively leading the Telegram group.

His role goes beyond passive involvement. He has been observed notifying users when products are back in stock, addressing complaints about delayed deliveries, and even advising members on how to travel internationally with anabolic steroids.

In one video message to the group, Wicks recounted travelling to Dubai on three separate occasions with steroids and other substances in his luggage, claiming he was never stopped or questioned. "They're not looking for your half a vial of Test-E and your little pot of winstrol," he told followers. "They're looking for bombs. You'll be all right."

When approached for comment, Wicks maintained that Gencore Global does not sell steroids and attributed the behaviour of its affiliates to the natural overlap between different online communities.

Influencers Normalising Steroid Use on Social Media

One Gencore ambassador, identified as Lewis G and known on TikTok as LJG Fitness, openly discusses his steroid use on his public profile, accumulating over 22,000 likes across his videos. In one particularly candid post, he described experiencing alarming psychological side effects after using trenbolone — a highly potent anabolic steroid — including uncontrollable arguments with his partner and feelings of mental instability. His TikTok biography contains links directing users directly to the Anabolic By Nature sales platform, as well as to Gencore's official channels. He did not respond to requests for comment.

The Bigger Picture: Social Media and Steroid Culture

In the United Kingdom, possessing anabolic steroids for personal use is not a criminal offence. However, selling, supplying, or distributing them without the appropriate licence is illegal, as is importing them without proper authorisation.

Despite this legal framework, experts warn that enforcement is struggling to keep pace with the rapid spread of steroid culture online.

Geoff Bates, a public health policy lecturer at the University of Bath's Institute for Policy Research, said social media platforms are playing a central role in normalising steroid use, particularly among young men navigating modern pressures around physical appearance and masculinity.

"Social media is a powerful driver of how people think and see themselves," Bates explained. "Increasing numbers of people are using these platforms to reinforce expectations and standards around body image and masculinity."

Bates, who has studied this issue for two decades, highlighted a consistent and concerning overlap between steroid use and the broader wellness industry — a trend that shows no signs of slowing down as underground networks continue to rebuild themselves after being shut down and attracting thousands of new members in the process.

The Anabolic By Nature channel alone has gathered more than 5,500 members since launching in April, while its predecessor reportedly had over 13,000 members before being taken down — a clear indicator that demand for these substances, and the communities built around them, remains alarmingly high.