- Eighty-year-old John Eric Spiby, a £2.4 million National Lottery winner, was sentenced to 16 years and six months after a jury conviction.
- Bolton Crown Court convicted Spiby of conspiring to produce and supply Class C counterfeit diazepam tablets, plus firearms and perverting the course of justice charges.
- Prosecutors said the industrial-scale operation at his rural Wigan home manufactured counterfeit Valium tablets with a potential street value up to £288 million.
- Three co-defendants, including his son John Colin Spiby, received prison terms ranging from nine to twelve years for their roles in the scheme.
BOLTON, ENGLAND — An 80-year-old man who won £2.4 million on the UK National Lottery was sentenced to more than 16 years in prison after a court heard he helped build a large-scale counterfeit drug operation centered at his rural home near Wigan.
John Eric Spiby was described in court as a leader in an operation that manufactured counterfeit tablets disguised as diazepam (Valium) on an industrial scale. Prosecutors told the court the pills had a potential street value of up to £288 million.
Convictions and Sentence
After a trial at Bolton Crown Court, a jury convicted Spiby of conspiracy to produce Class C drugs and conspiracy to supply Class C drugs. He was also found guilty of two counts of firearms possession, possession of ammunition, and perverting the course of justice.
The court imposed a sentence of 16 years and six months.
Operation Based at Rural Property Near Wigan
The court heard the alleged production was centered at Spiby’s “quiet, rural” home near Wigan. Prosecutors said he provided the premises, helped adapt parts of the property, and assisted in purchasing machinery used to manufacture the tablets.
Diazepam is a prescription medication used to treat conditions such as anxiety and muscle spasms, but the case involved pills described as counterfeit tablets disguised as diazepam.
Other Defendants Also Jailed
Spiby was one of four men the court heard were part of the wider operation. Those named included his son, John Colin Spiby, as well as Lee Drury, 45, and Callum Dorian, 35.
The court heard Dorian was jailed for 12 years in 2024. Drury received nine years and nine months, while Spiby’s son was sentenced to nine years.
Judge’s Remarks on Scale
During sentencing, Judge Clarke KC told Spiby that despite the lottery win, he continued criminal activity beyond what would typically be expected in retirement years. The judge also referred to the scale of the operation as exceptionally large for this type of drug production.
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