A STALYBRIDGE man has been jailed for almost 10 years after being part of a criminal gang that produced counterfeit tablets worth millions of pounds.
Lee Drury, of Hassall Street, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to produce and supply Class C drugs midway through a trial at Bolton Crown Court.
And the 45-year-old has been jailed for nine years and nine months as four members were locked up for almost 50 years.
During the investigation, police officers estimated the group produced counterfeit tablets with a bulk value of between £7.2 million and £12.9 million and a potential street value ranging from £57.6 million to £288 million.
In an attempt to remain undetected, Drury created a fake company in August 2020, complete with a website advertising tablet presses, mixers, packaging machines and powdered supplements.
On 1 April 2022, officers from Greater Manchester Police’s Serious Organised Crime Group observed he and associate Callum Dorian loading a hire van with boxes from a shipping container in Astley.
The vehicle was intercepted and found to contain 2.6 million counterfeit diazepam tablets, with an estimated street value of between £1,040,000 and £5,200,000.
Dorian, of Eccles, received a 12‑year prison sentence in September 2024 for conspiracy to supply firearms and conspiracy to produce and supply Class C drugs.
John Eric Spiby (Senior), of Astley, was jailed on Tuesday, January 26, 2026, for 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 (Junior), of Salford, has been sentenced to nine years in prison for conspiracy to produce and supply Class C drugs.
The father and son had denied the offences but were found guilty after a trial in November 2025.
The court heard how between November 2021 and May 2022, an investigation was launched following evidence obtained from Operation Venetic.
Venetic was launched in 2020 in response to the growing threat of organised crime facilitated by encrypted communications platforms, particularly EncroChat.
Dorian was attributed to the handle “Fallensoda”. Messages and images linked to this handle showed the facilitation and supply of firearms including AK‑47s, an Uzi, Tec‑9s, a Scorpion, a Grand Power pistol, silencers, and ammunition.
The messages also showed the orchestration of the large‑scale production of counterfeit diazepam tablets containing etizolam.
As the operation grew, the group was placed under surveillance, with officers identifying several key properties being used to carry out their illegal activities.
A cottage located behind the home of Spiby Senior, was found to contain an industrial‑scale tablet manufacturing set-up capable of producing tens of thousands of tablets per hour.
Spiby Sr also purchased an industrial unit on Albion Street in Swinton in 2021 with the aim of converting it to expand the group’s production capacity.
The shipping container in Astley, rented by Drury and controlled by the group, was used to store materials and millions of counterfeit tablets awaiting distribution.
On <ay 187, 2022, officers carried out a number of warrants which resulted in the seizure of three viable firearms, ammunition, cash, industrial tablet‑manufacturing machinery and significant quantities of counterfeit tablets and raw materials.
All four men were arrested and remanded into custody.
Detective Inspector Alex Brown, from GMP’s Serious Organised Crime Group, said: “These four individuals showed absolutely no regard for human life or public safety. All they were interested in was lining their own pockets with significant financial gain.
“They operated a fully industrialised drug‑manufacturing business capable of producing millions of counterfeit tablets containing a highly dangerous substance. 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.
“The sentences should serve as a clear warning – organised crime will not be tolerated.
“We will continue to pursue those who seek to profit from harm, and we will use every power and tool available to disrupt and dismantle serious organised crime gangs.”