John Eric Spiby, an 80-year-old who won £2.4 million on the National Lottery in 2010, has been sentenced to 16 years and six months in prison for his role in a multimillion-pound counterfeit drug operation. Bolton Crown Court heard that Spiby helped lead a gang that produced millions of tablets disguised as diazepam, with a potential street value of up to £288 million.
The court was told that Spiby provided premises and purchased machinery to manufacture the drugs on an industrial scale at his home near Wigan. He was convicted of conspiracy to produce and supply class C drugs, as well as possession of firearms, ammunition, and perverting the course of justice. His son, John Colin Spiby, 37, was also jailed for nine years, along with Lee Drury, 45, who received nine years and nine months, and Callum Dorian, 35, who was jailed for 12 years in 2024.
Prosecutor Emma Clarke described how the operation centred on Spiby's home in a quiet, rural area. Judge Clarke KC noted that despite his lottery win, Spiby continued a life of crime beyond retirement age. The judge also remarked that the scale of the operation was the largest of its kind uncovered by police.
During the trial, it emerged that Spiby had boasted in a group chat that Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos should watch their backs. Defence counsel Adam Kent KC argued that Dorian was the principal organiser, with Spiby described as the 'guy whose gaff we use' who was a millionaire. The revolvers found at Spiby's home were noted to date from the First World War.
