Four members of a U.K. organized crime gang, including an 80-year-old man and his son, have been jailed for almost 50 years following an investigation into a multimillion‑pound firearms and counterfeit drugs operation in Wigan, northern England, according to the Greater Manchester Police.
Authorities described the operation as an “industrial‑scale tablet manufacturing set-up.”
It was led by John Eric Spiby, 80, who had previously won £2.4 million (C$4.4 million) in a 2010 lottery draw. The four men involved were found guilty of producing and supplying counterfeit diazepam tablets, possessing a firearm, possession of ammunition and perverting the course of justice, among other charges.
(Diazepam is an anti-anxiety medication used to calm the nervous system, relieve muscle spasms, treat seizures and alleviate alcohol withdrawal.)
Both Spiby and John Spiby Jr., 37, had denied the offences but were found guilty after a trial in November 2025, Greater Manchester Police said.
Left, John Spiby; right, his son John Spiby, Jr.
Greater Manchester Police
Two other men, Callum Dorian, 35, and Lee Ryan Drury, 45, were also convicted and sentenced to 12 years and nine years, respectively. Dorian was jailed in 2024.
Callum Dorian, left, and Lee Drury, right.
Great Manchester Police
The court heard that Spiby Sr. “provided the premises and helped adapt the premises and purchase machinery” worth thousands of pounds to produce the drugs, the Guardian reported.
According to the outlet, Judge Clarke KC, overseeing Spiby’s sentencing on Tuesday, told him: “Despite your lottery win, you continued to live a life of crime beyond what would normally have been your retirement years.”
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Prosecutor Emma Clarke said the gang was involved in producing counterfeit diazepam with an estimated street value of £288 million (C$424 million).
Police identified the facility as “a cottage located behind the home of Spiby Senior,” which was found to contain “an industrial‑scale tablet manufacturing set-up capable of producing tens of thousands of tablets per hour.”
The group rented a shipping container storing millions of pills awaiting distribution. Spiby also owned an industrial unit, which he purchased in 2021 with the intention of converting and expanding the group’s production capacity, police said.
Adam Kent KC, representing Spiby Sr, said Dorian was the “principal of this operation.” He said that in Dorian’s words, the “guy whose gaff we use is a millionaire,” meaning Spiby Sr.
Some of the firearms found at Spiby’s home were from the Second World War, he noted.
Social media messages sent via encrypted platforms were attributed to Dorian, who used the handle “Fallensoda,” police said.
“Messages and images linked to this username showed the facilitation and supply of firearms including AK‑47s, an Uzi, Tec‑9s, a Scorpion, a Grand Power pistol, silencers, and ammunition,” according to investigators.
In an attempt to operate undetected, Drury created a fake company in August 2020, complete with a website advertising tablet presses, mixers, packaging machines and powdered supplements.
“The sentences should serve as a clear warning: organized crime will not be tolerated,” Det. Insp. Alex Brown said in a statement.
“We will continue to pursue those who seek to profit from harm, and we will use every power and tool available to disrupt and dismantle serious organized crime gangs.”
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