British Lottery Winner Turns $3.3M into $400M Drug Empire

In Britain, a Windfall lottery winner has been sentenced to 16 years in prison after he was found guilty of manufacturing and distributing counterfeit medications, which he had funded with his  GBP 2.4 million ($3.3 million) winnings.

80-year-old John Eric Spiby, who runs a long rap sheet, headquartered his drug business in Northwest England.

According to the Greater Manchester Police, Spiby had used “an industrial‑scale tablet manufacturing set-up capable of producing tens of thousands of tablets per hour”.

Police estimate that with the help of John Colin Spiby, his son, and two other suspects, the group was able to manufacture GBP288 million ($400 million) worth of fake Valium pills laced with etizolam, which is banned in the UK.

Etizolam is a sedative sometimes used to treat insomnia and anxiety disorders. It also comes with a dangerous, possible side effect in case of excessive consumption. It can “depress the central nervous system, leading to unconsciousness, respiratory failure, and death”.

Sentencings for the Others Involved

For his involvement in the group, Spiby Jr. will be spending 9 years in prison. Callum Dorian and Drury, the two accomplices, have been sentenced to 9 and 12 years in prison.

All four denied the charges brought up against them. Drury did plead guilty at some point during the trial.

The group members were charged with conspiracy to produce and supply Class C drugs, conspiracy to supply firearms, possession of firearms and ammunition, and perverting the course of justice.

Choosing to Commit the Crime

Spidy won his GBP2.4 million ($3.3 million) lottery prize all the way back in 2010, at the time he was 65-years-old. He has been identified as the ringleader of the whole operation.

French law enforcement intercepted private messages between the group on EncroChat. After obtaining this information, British law enforcement began surveillance.

Through several raids, police were able to seize 2.6 million counterfeit pills worth around GBP5.2 million ($7 million),  firearms, ammunition, cash, and industrial tablet manufacturing machinery.