An 80-year-old Wigan man who won £2.4 million on the National Lottery has been jailed for 16 and a half years for his role in a counterfeit drugs operation worth up to £288 million. John Eric Spiby was convicted at Bolton Crown Court of conspiracy to produce and supply class C drugs, as well as firearms and ammunition offences.
The court heard that Spiby used his 2010 lottery winnings to fund the industrial-scale production of counterfeit tablets disguised as diazepam. His home in a quiet rural area near Wigan was the centre of the operation, where he provided premises, adapted them, and purchased machinery worth thousands of pounds.
Spiby was the leader of the gang, which also included his son John Colin Spiby, 37, Lee Drury, 45, and Callum Dorian, 35. The court was told that Spiby boasted in a group chat that 'Elon [Musk] and Jeff [Bezos] best watch their backs.'
Judge Clarke KC stated that despite his lottery win, Spiby continued a life of crime beyond retirement age. The judge noted the operation was 'the largest production of drugs of this nature that has ever been uncovered by the police.'
Spiby's son received a nine-year sentence, Drury was jailed for nine years and nine months, and Dorian was sentenced to 12 years in 2024. The court heard that Dorian was the principal organiser, with Spiby referred to as 'the guy whose gaff we use' and being a millionaire.
