Domain: tiger-web1.srvr.media3.us 65 yr old lottery winner uses jackpot to build £288m drug empire making pills | O-T Lounge
Started By
Message

65 yr old lottery winner uses jackpot to build £288m drug empire making pills

Posted on 1/29/26 at 9:26 am
Posted by Shexter
Prairieville
Member since Feb 2014
19650 posts
Posted on 1/29/26 at 9:26 am


quote:

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.


https://www.lbc.co.uk/article/lottery-winner-drug-empire-pills-5HjdRWt_2/



quote:

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.




quote:

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."


Posted by idlewatcher
Planet Arium
Member since Jan 2012
94114 posts
Posted on 1/29/26 at 9:28 am to
Greed is always their downfall.
Posted by theunknownknight
Baton Rouge
Member since Sep 2005
60457 posts
Posted on 1/29/26 at 9:31 am to
I applaud the guy for investing and grinding
Posted by Aubie Spr96
lolwut?
Member since Dec 2009
44133 posts
Posted on 1/29/26 at 9:37 am to
Isn’t this basically the premise for the Gentlemen?
Posted by EastWestConnection
Denver/Shenzhen/Belfast
Member since Jul 2024
1589 posts
Posted on 1/29/26 at 9:38 am to
Hell yeah the hustle never ends
Posted by Shreve Perry
Member since Jan 2026
92 posts
Posted on 1/29/26 at 9:47 am to
Guess it could've been worse than counterfeit Valium. House arrest and a fine. Let the old bird fly a bit longer.
Posted by Hangover Haven
Metry
Member since Oct 2013
32502 posts
Posted on 1/29/26 at 9:56 am to
That's a rough 65....

Brits don't age very well...
Posted by ChiTownBammer
South Florida
Member since Aug 2014
1445 posts
Posted on 1/29/26 at 10:09 am to
Oi, mate! You got a loisence for that pill lab?
Posted by sgallo3
Lake Charles
Member since Sep 2008
25883 posts
Posted on 1/29/26 at 10:15 am to
Hes 80 now
Posted by tigerpimpbot
Chairman of the Pool Board
Member since Nov 2011
68905 posts
Posted on 1/29/26 at 10:15 am to
Guy Ritchie movie incoming.
Posted by LegendInMyMind
Member since Apr 2019
72818 posts
Posted on 1/29/26 at 10:16 am to
quote:

That's a rough 65....

Brits don't age very well...

He's 80 in that pic. He was 65 in 2010 when be won the lottery and set up shop.
Posted by Hangover Haven
Metry
Member since Oct 2013
32502 posts
Posted on 1/29/26 at 10:17 am to
quote:

Hes 80 now


Gotcha... I see now... I was about to say, Damn,,,
Posted by Slevin7
Member since Sep 2015
2752 posts
Posted on 1/29/26 at 10:26 am to
15 years is a pretty good run

He's 80 so 16-1/2 years is basically a death sentence.

You gotta figure if he has managed to stack a couple hundred mill for his family he's probably counting this as a win
Posted by Sus-Scrofa
Member since Feb 2013
10633 posts
Posted on 1/29/26 at 11:03 am to
This dude will have some type of scam/business up and running in prison within the first month.
Posted by lsuconnman
Baton rouge
Member since Feb 2007
4691 posts
Posted on 1/29/26 at 11:18 am to


quote:

Greed is always their downfall.


In this case, I think it’s safe to say it was tech CEOs cooperating with government surveillance agencies.
quote:

an app dubbed the "WhatsApp for criminals"


I’d bet the mysterious ap name that was conveniently omitted from the article was Telegram.
Posted by SantaFe
Baton Rouge
Member since Apr 2019
7729 posts
Posted on 1/29/26 at 11:24 am to

What a dumbass , he could have just opened a K & B .
Posted by MoarKilometers
Member since Apr 2015
20851 posts
Posted on 1/29/26 at 11:28 am to
frick you spiby... if you ever see me fighting a bear, you better jump in and help the bear.
Posted by TheHarahanian
Actually not Harahan as of 6/2023
Member since May 2017
23496 posts
Posted on 1/29/26 at 11:29 am to

Some of us have to put our money to work.
Posted by Bamadiver
Member since Jun 2014
4144 posts
Posted on 1/29/26 at 11:32 am to
BBC version of Breaking Bad.
This post was edited on 1/29/26 at 7:58 pm
Posted by junior
baton rouge
Member since Mar 2005
2582 posts
Posted on 1/29/26 at 12:05 pm to
2.6 million counterfeit Diazepam tablets with a street value of up to £5.2 million

$2 a pill? Ole boy should have started up a legit drug company.
first pageprev pagePage 1 of 2Next pagelast page

Back to top
logoFollow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News
Follow us on X, Facebook and Instagram to get the latest updates on LSU Football and Recruiting.

FacebookXInstagram