Judge jails John Eric Spiby and three others who police said were part of gang running operation worth up to £288m
An 80-year-old man who won £2.4m on the national lottery helped build a multimillion pound drug empire that involved manufacturing counterfeit tablets on an industrial scale, a court has heard.
John Eric Spiby was the leader of a drugs operation worth up to £288m that centred around his “quiet rural” home near Wigan, Manchester crown court heard.
Spiby won the money in 2010, the court was told, and was involved in flooding the region with millions of tablets disguised as diazepam. Diazepam, also known as Valium, calms the nervous system to treat anxiety, muscle spasms, seizures, and alcohol withdrawal.
The court heard that he also “provided the premises and helped adapt the premises and purchase machinery” worth thousands of pounds to make the drugs.
