Overview
- John Eric Spiby, 80, was convicted in January 2026 at Bolton of producing and supplying Class C drugs, possessing firearms and ammunition, and perverting the course of justice.
- Prosecutors said the network ran from 2020 to 2022, with clandestine facilities near his Wigan home and a second site to expand output across the Manchester area.
- Greater Manchester Police seized more than 2.5 million tablets on April 2, 2022, an $85 million haul that triggered the wider probe and arrests.
- Co-defendants received multi-year terms: his son John Colin Spiby got 9 years, Lee Drury 9 years and 9 months, and Callum Dorrian 12 years in a 2024 sentencing.
- Investigators said Spiby invested over $500,000 in machinery, reporting cited revenues above $350 million, and authorities emphasized that shutting the labs prevented broader distribution of dangerous pills.