An English court sentenced an 80-year-old former lottery winner to prison after uncovering a massive counterfeit drug operation, now known as the ‘Lottery Drugs‘ case. Authorities said John Eric Spiby used his lottery winnings to fund an industrial-scale drug empire operated from a cottage behind his home, working alongside his son and two associates.
Greater Manchester Police announced Wednesday that Spiby received a 16-year prison sentence. His son, John Colin Spiby, 37, was sentenced to nine years. Investigators said the operation produced millions of counterfeit pills with a potential street value between $80 million and $400 million.
Detective Inspector Alex Brown of the Serious Organized Crime Group said, “They operated a fully industrialized drug manufacturing business capable of producing millions of counterfeit tablets containing a highly dangerous substance.” Brown added, “The volume of tablets we recovered — along with the sophisticated machinery — demonstrated how deeply embedded this group was in the illicit drug supply chain.”
Local outlet LBC reported that Spiby won £2.4 million in the National Lottery in 2010. Despite that windfall, Judge Nicholas Clarke KC said during sentencing that, “despite your lottery win, you continued to live your life of crime beyond what would be a normal retirement age.”
Police said the group manufactured counterfeit diazepam tablets laced with etizolam, a substance that can cause severe central nervous system depression. Authorities also seized firearms, including AK-47s, an Uzi, and silencers, along with ammunition and cash.
Officers intercepted the operation in April 2022, finding 2.6 million counterfeit tablets in a vehicle. A subsequent warrant uncovered weapons, drugs, and machinery. Two additional accomplices received sentences of 12 and nine years.
Brown said, “These four individuals showed absolutely no regard for human life or public safety.”
