Elderly man arrested after using prize to finance £288 million drug operation

By Kate Northrop

An elderly lottery winner was jailed after using a £2.4 million (US$3.3 million) windfall to build a £288 million (US$394 million) drug empire.

An 80-year-old lottery winner ran a counterfeit drug ring from the "quiet, rural" comfort of his home after he reinvested a £2.4 million prize in the endeavor.

John Eric Spiby, 80, won £2.4 million in the National Lottery in 2010. Rather than invest in stocks, carry out home repairs, or go on ritzy vacations, he decided to build a "sophisticated" lab in the stables near his cottage in Wigan, Greater Manchester, purchasing machinery and retrofitting the spot with equipment.

Between 2020 and 2022, he oversaw an operation that led to an increase in drug-related deaths in the area and influenced customers to unwittingly take a gamble on their health and safety.

"What you did created a high risk of Russian Roulette for vulnerable drug users who are unsure whether the drugs were more or less potent that the drugs they were replacing," Judge Nicholas Clarke KC reprimanded the convicted criminals.

Spiby enlisted his son, John Colin Spiby, 37, and two associates, Lee Drury, 45, and Callum Dorrian, 35, to help him install an additional location in Salford in 2021 to manufacture more "unregulated, unlicensed, and unchecked" drugs.

The false medications they produced were counterfeit Diazepam pills laced with etizolam. Diazepam and etizolam both work to calm and relax the nervous system, however the US Drug Enforcement Administration points out that "clinical studies suggest that etizolam is approximately 10 times more potent than diazepam in producing hypnotic effects."

Prosecutors said that Spiby's farmhouse-style lab featured frosted windows to conceal activity on the inside and that it contained "industrial-scale" equipment to facilitate the production of tablets by the tens of thousands per hour.

They were caught after French law enforcement discovered incriminating details sent back and forth on EncroChat, which is similar to WhatsApp in that it allows users to send encrypted messages. The app had a reputation for allowing organized crime members to plan illegal activities and went defunct in 2020 after police infiltrated the network in a Europe-wide investigation.

Investigators seized 2.6 million Diazepam tablets worth up to £5.2 million (US$ 7.1 million) in value from a van rented by Spiby's organization after observing Dorrian and Drury loading it with boxes that were to be sent to a hotel. The potential street value of their supply ranged from £57.6 million (US$78.9 million) to £288 million (US$394.3 million).

Police conducted a raid on several locations and additionally discovered a myriad of firearms and ammunition.

Bolton Crown Court heard that Spiby, who boasted a "significant" criminal record, bragged that "Elon and Jeff best watch their backs," referencing tech tycoons Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos.

"Despite your lottery win, you continued to live a life of crime beyond what would normally have been your retirement years," the judge told Spiby while sentencing him.

Spiby was sentenced to 16 years and six months in prison, while his son was sentenced to nine. Drury jailed for nine years and nine months, and Dorrian was given 12 years.

(Click to display full-size in gallery)Lottery winner John Eric Spiby, 80, ran an 'industrial' fake prescription drugs conspiracy from his cottage near Wigan.

(Click to display full-size in gallery)Police found guns, stacks of money, and boxes full of counterfeit pills when they raided the gang's 'sophisticated' drug factories.