An 80-year-old former lottery winner who secretly operated a massive counterfeit drug manufacturing business from a rural cottage has been sentenced to prison, concluding what authorities described as a highly sophisticated criminal enterprise that operated in plain sight.
The Conviction and Sentencing
John Eric Spiby, 80, received a 16-year prison sentence in England after law enforcement uncovered a counterfeit drug network with the capacity to produce millions of pills, according to Greater Manchester Police. His son, John Colin Spiby, 37, was also sentenced to nine years in prison for his involvement in the operation.
Sophisticated Manufacturing Setup
Police revealed that the group manufactured counterfeit diazepam tablets, commonly known as Valium, from a cottage located behind Spiby's home using industrial-scale machinery. "They operated a fully industrialized drug manufacturing business capable of producing millions of counterfeit tablets containing a highly dangerous substance," said Alex Brown, detective inspector with the Serious Organised Crime Group.
"The volume of tablets we recovered, along with the sophisticated machinery, demonstrated how deeply embedded this group was in the illicit drug supply chain," Brown added in an official statement.
Lottery Win and Criminal Funding
According to UK outlet LBC, Spiby won £2.4 million in the National Lottery in 2010 when he was approximately 65 years old, equivalent to roughly $3.3 million in 2026. During sentencing, Judge Nicholas Clarke KC told Spiby that, "despite your lottery win, you continued to live your life of crime beyond what would be a normal retirement age."
Investigators stated that Spiby utilized his lottery winnings to help finance the operation, which ran between November 2021 and May 2022. Police described how Spiby equipped his cottage with an "industrial-scale tablet manufacturing set-up capable of producing tens of thousands of tablets per hour." Court proceedings revealed the laboratory was concealed by frosting the windows.
Dangerous Drug Composition
The counterfeit drugs produced were allegedly laced with etizolam, a substance banned in the United States and typically prescribed elsewhere for insomnia and anxiety. In high doses, etizolam can cause severe central nervous system depression, potentially leading to:
- Unconsciousness
- Respiratory failure
- Death
Operation Details and Seizures
Authorities explained that the group initially attempted to disguise their operation as a legitimate business. In August 2020, they reportedly created a fake company and website advertising tablet presses, mixers, packaging machines, and powdered supplements. The suspects also rented a shipping container to store raw materials and millions of counterfeit tablets awaiting distribution.
In April 2022, officers intercepted a vehicle containing 2.6 million counterfeit diazepam tablets with an estimated street value ranging between $1.4 million and $7 million. A month later, a search warrant led to the seizure of:
- Firearms
- Ammunition
- Cash
- Machinery
- Counterfeit drugs
- Raw materials
Additional Convictions
Police estimated the crime ring produced drugs with a potential street value between approximately $80 million and $400 million. Two other accomplices were also convicted. Callum Dorian, 35, received a 12-year prison sentence in September 2024, while Lee Ryan Drury, 45, was sentenced to nine years.
All four defendants faced multiple charges including:
- Conspiracy to produce and supply Class C drugs
- Conspiracy to supply firearms
- Possession of firearms and ammunition
- Perverting the course of justice
Official Condemnation
"These four individuals showed absolutely no regard for human life or public safety," Brown stated. "All they were interested in was lining their own pockets with significant financial gain."
The case highlights how criminal enterprises can utilize legitimate windfalls to fund sophisticated illegal operations, posing serious threats to public health and safety through the distribution of dangerous counterfeit pharmaceuticals.
