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Gang jailed over guns and drug operation able to making 'tens of thousands' of pills per hour

The gang produced millions of counterfeit diazepam tablets worth up to £288 million and supplied deadly firearms, receiving nearly 50 years of combined prison sentences, police said.

  • GMP jailed four gang members after a probe by Greater Manchester Police Serious Organised Crime Group uncovered an industrial-scale tablet manufacturing set-up in Wigan.
  • Operation Venetic evidence prompted investigators to probe EncroChat-linked handles, notably `Fallensoda`, revealing messages that facilitated firearms and counterfeit tablet production.
  • After surveillance, warrants executed on properties found an industrial-scale tablet system in a cottage behind John Eric Spiby 's home, a Chaddock Lane shipping container, and a hire van intercepted with counterfeit tablets and seized firearms.
  • John Eric Spiby was jailed at Bolton Crown Court on Tuesday, and Detective Inspector Alex Brown said `The sentences should serve as a clear warning: organised crime will not be tolerated`, pledging continued disruption.
  • The combined drugs-and-firearms model, with a bulk value between £7.2m and £12.9m, was linked to the supply of firearms, including automatic weapons and ammunition, posing a broader public safety threat.
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leighjournal.co.uk broke the news in on Wednesday, January 28, 2026.
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