A LOTTO winner has been jailed after he used his £2.4million winnings to run an “industrial-scale” drug network – despite scooping £2.4million.
John Eric Spiby landed the life-changing win in 2010 when he was aged 65.
But rather than retiring with his winnings, the pensioner instead built a “sophisticated” lab to produce fake prescription pills in stables opposite his cottage in Wigan, Greater Manchester.
He also helped adapt the premises and purchased machinery worth thousands of pounds to make the drugs, which were sold for 65p-a-pop.
The drugs, which were “unregulated, unlicensed and unchecked”, were then sold on the street for people who “could not find them through legitimate means”.
Prosecutors said those who bought the pills were playing “Russian roulette” with their lives.
Spiby ran the network between 2020 and 2022 with the help of his son John Colin Spiby, 37, Lee Drury, 45, and Callum Dorrian, 35.
The gang raked in £288million after expanding from the cottage warehouse to a second lab at an industrial unit in Salford.
During their crime spree, Spiby boasted “Elon and Jeff best watch their backs” – an apparent reference to US tech billionaires Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos.
He has now been for 16 years and six months for conspiracy to produce and supply Class C drugs, two counts of possessing a firearm, possession of ammunition, and perverting the course of justice.
His son was locked up for nine years in prison for conspiracy to produce and supply Class C drugs, while Drury was jailed for nine years and nine months for the same offence.
Dorian was sentenced to 12 years previously for conspiracy to supply firearms and conspiracy to produce and supply Class C drugs.
Judge Clarke told Spiby Senior: “Despite your lottery win you continued to live a life of crime beyond what would normally have been your retirement years.”
Bolton Crown Court heard none of the men had a “licence or authority to produce drugs for medicinal subscriptions”.
Despite this, they produced and flooded the streets with counterfeit diazepam tablets that caused “untold harm” to addicts.
The court also heard there was an increase in drug deaths, particularly around the Bury New Road area, linked to the increased availability of drugs like these.
Spiby first splurged £15,000 on running the machines in the network’s original base.
He then spent a further £210,000 getting the second lab up and running – along with £200,000 spent on machinery and ingredients.
The gang hid their criminal conspiracy behind a front company called Nutra Inc run by Drury, which claimed to be a legitimate business.
But police grew suspicious and put them under surveillance in November 2021 using the codename Operation Venetic.
Officers discovered the network moving large amounts of expensive machinery to the Salford factory.
They raided a string of properties and found three firearms plus ammunition, cash and industrial tablet manufacturing machinery.
The empire came crashing down on April 2, 2022, when a “significant” shipment of drugs was set to be delivered to a Manchester hotel.
Drury went to meet the driver but it was intercepted by police with more than 2.5million tablets inside worth £67million.
Spiby, who has a long history of similar crimes that continued even after winning the lottery, denied any knowledge of the conspiracy.
But court heard each member of the team had a role to play in the sophisticated operation.
Drury who was “mint with machines” was used for his technical expertise, while Spiby Senior provided premises and cash.
His son was used mainly for hands-on work, while Dorrian, who used the Enchrochat messaging platform, provided criminal connections.
Detective Inspector Alex Brown, from our Serious Organised Crime Group, said: “These four individuals showed absolutely no regard for human life or public safety. All they were interested in was lining their own pockets with significant financial gain.
“They operated a fully industrialised drug‑manufacturing business capable of producing millions of counterfeit tablets containing a highly dangerous substance.
“The volume of tablets we recovered – along with the sophisticated machinery – demonstrated how deeply embedded this group was in the illicit drug supply chain.
“Alongside the drug production, this group was also linked to the supply of a range of deadly firearms, including automatic weapons and ammunition.
“This potentially deadly combination presented a serious threat to communities not just in Greater Manchester but across the country and beyond.
“The sentences should serve as a clear warning – organised crime will not be tolerated.
“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 organised crime gangs.”
