Organised Crime Gang Sentenced for Multi-Million Pound Operation
Four individuals involved in a sophisticated organised crime network have been handed substantial prison sentences following a comprehensive investigation into their extensive firearms and drugs enterprise. The group, based in the Wigan area, operated an industrial-scale counterfeit tablet manufacturing facility with the capacity to produce tens of thousands of pills per hour.
Encrypted Communications Uncover Criminal Activities
The investigation, which ran from November 2021 to May 2022, was initiated after evidence emerged from a separate operation targeting the use of encrypted communication platforms by organised crime groups. Particular focus was placed on the EncroChat network, which criminals were using to coordinate their illicit activities with perceived anonymity.
Through surveillance of these platforms, authorities identified messages and images linked to gang member Callum Dorian that revealed the facilitation and supply of dangerous firearms. These weapons included AK47 assault rifles, a Grand Power pistol, various silencers, and substantial quantities of ammunition.
Sophisticated Drug Manufacturing Operation
The encrypted communications also exposed the orchestration of large-scale production of counterfeit diazepam tablets containing etizolam. Following this discovery, police placed the group under surveillance and identified several properties being used for illegal activities.
An industrial-scale tablet manufacturing system was discovered in a cottage located behind the home of gang leader John Eric Spiby. The operation was so extensive that Spiby Senior had purchased an industrial unit with plans to expand production capacity further. Additionally, a shipping container rented by gang member Lee Ryan Drury was used to store materials and millions of counterfeit tablets awaiting distribution.
Major Interception and Seizures
In April 2022, authorities intercepted a hire van that had been observed being loaded by Dorian and Drury. Inside, police discovered 2.6 million counterfeit Diazepam tablets with an estimated street value ranging between £1 million and £5.2 million.
To maintain the appearance of legitimacy and avoid detection, Drury had created a fake company complete with a professional website advertising tablet presses, mixers, packaging machines, and powdered supplements. This elaborate front allowed the group to operate their highly profitable criminal enterprise while masquerading as a lawful business operation.
Substantial Evidence and Arrests
Following the van seizure, officers executed multiple warrants that resulted in the confiscation of three viable firearms, ammunition, significant cash amounts, industrial tablet manufacturing machinery, and substantial quantities of counterfeit tablets and raw materials. All four gang members were subsequently arrested and remanded in custody.
Police estimates suggest the group produced counterfeit tablets with a bulk value between £7.2 million and £12.9 million, with a potential street value reaching an astonishing £57.6 million to £288 million.
Court Sentencing and Police Response
At Bolton Crown Court, John Eric Spiby received a sentence of 16 years and six months for conspiracy to produce and supply Class C drugs, two counts of possessing a firearm, possession of ammunition, and perverting the course of justice. His son, John Colin Spiby, was sentenced to nine years for conspiracy to produce and supply Class C drugs. Both had denied the offences but were found guilty following a trial in November 2025.
Lee Ryan Drury pleaded guilty midway through the trial to conspiracy to produce and supply Class C drugs and received a prison sentence of nine years and nine months. Callum Dorian had previously been sentenced to 12 years in prison in September 2024 for conspiracy to supply firearms and conspiracy to produce and supply Class C drugs.
Detective Inspector Alex Brown from the Serious Organised Crime Group commented on the case, stating: "The volume of tablets we recovered - along with the sophisticated machinery - demonstrated how deeply embedded this group was in the illicit drug supply chain. Alongside the drug production, this group was also linked to the supply of a range of deadly firearms, including automatic weapons and ammunition. This potentially deadly combination presented a serious threat to communities not just in Greater Manchester but across the country and beyond."
DI Brown added: "The sentences should serve as a clear warning: organised crime will not be tolerated." The total prison time handed to the four gang members approaches fifty years, reflecting the seriousness of their offences and the scale of their criminal operation.
