The Daily Populous Thursday January 29th, 2026 evening edition
Authored by lbc.co.uk and submitted by eudaimonia_dc

John Eric Spiby cashed in his winning ticket in 2010 to construct a drugs lab in the "stables" opposite his cottage near Wigan, Greater Manchester.

John Eric Spiby cashed in his winning ticket in 2010 to construct a drugs lab in the "stables" opposite his cottage near Wigan, Greater Manchester. Picture: Greater Manchester Police

An elderly National Lottery winner used his £2.4 million jackpot to build a lucrative drug empire by producing fake prescription pills from his rural cottage.

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John Eric Spiby cashed in his winning ticket in 2010 to construct a drugs lab in the "stables" opposite his cottage near Wigan, Greater Manchester. The then 65-year-old used the facilities to build a "sophisticated" lab to produce counterfeit medication, estimated to have a street value of up to £288 million. Read more: Former Met officer jailed after sentence for 'sexual interest in babies' increased Read more: Two teenage boys were 'laughing and filming' as they raped girl, trial told

When officers eventually raided a hired van, they found 2.6 million counterfeit Diazepam tablets with a street value of up to £5.2million. Picture: Greater Manchester Police

Spiby went on to grow his empire using his son and two associates, building a second drug factory in Salford to flood the streets with "unregulated, unlicensed and unchecked" drugs, a court heard. At the height of his powers, Spidy boasted that US tech billionaires Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos "best watch their backs". But as sales of counterfeit drugs soared, so did the number of drug-related deaths in the area, with desperate users playing "Russian roulette" with their lives, prosecutors said. The group's success caught the attention of the police, who ran a surveillance team on them after uncovering incriminating messages on an app dubbed the "WhatsApp for criminals". When officers eventually raided a hired van, they found 2.6 million counterfeit Diazepam tablets with a street value of up to £5.2 million. Police also raided a string of properties and found three firearms plus ammunition, as well as cash and industrial tablet manufacturing machinery. Spiby Sr, now 80, had a "significant" criminal record but denied any knowledge of the conspiracy. But he was convicted of drug offences and jailed for 16-and-a-half years on Tuesday. Passing sentence, Judge Nicholas Clarke KC said: "Despite your lottery win, you continued to live your life of crime beyond what would be a normal retirement age." His son, John Colin Spiby, and associate Lee Drury were jailed for more than 18 years.

Between June 2020 and May 2022, £200,000 worth of machinery and ingredients were bought, with pills sold for 65p each. Picture: Greater Manchester Police

Another gang member, Callum Dorrian, 35, was given 12 years at a previous hearing. The court heard that Spiby Snr used frosted windows to "hide" his lab from the outside world. Inside, there was "industrial-scale" equipment capable of producing tens of thousands of tablets per hour. Bolton Crown Court heard Drury used his company, Nutra Inc, as a 'front' to cover up the illicit business. Between June 2020 and May 2022, £200,000 worth of machinery and ingredients were bought, with pills sold for 65p each. But the group were uncovered by French law enforcement officers, who managed to uncover encrypted messages on messaging platform EncroChat. The criminals discussed raw materials and the prospect of moving to synthesising the drugs to maximise their profits. The recipe for making the drugs was saved on Drury's phone. Dorrian and Drury were observed by officers loading a rented Enterprise van with boxes which were due to be delivered to a hotel in Manchester on April 1, 2022. On May 17, 2022, officers carried out a number of warrants which resulted in the seizure of three viable firearms, ammunition, cash, and significant quantities of counterfeit tablets and raw materials. All four men were arrested and remanded into custody. Jailing Spidy Sr, Judge Clarke said the gang sold pills to people who "could not find them through legitimate means".

Spiby Jr, 37, of Salford, was jailed for nine years. Picture: Greater Manchester Police

Lee Drury. Picture: Greater Manchester Police

Callum Dorrian. Picture: Greater Manchester Police

GreenStrong on January 29th, 2026 at 13:14 UTC »

He made pills from his cottage? So that's what's behind this cottage core craze, people are taking pills made of cottage and feeling cozy.

atleastitsnotgoofy on January 29th, 2026 at 12:55 UTC »

Walter Grey

eudaimonia_dc on January 29th, 2026 at 12:47 UTC »

"I'm in the empire business".