Four men charged in UK as fake meds labs raided

Four men have been charged in connection with a law enforcement operation in the UK that involved raids on two locations that have been linked to the production of counterfeit prescription pharmaceuticals.

The operation focused on a number of properties in the Wigan area, and uncovered two labs used to produce fake benzodiazepine tablets, including specialised pharmaceutical production equipment and large quantities of pills in Albion Street, Swinton, and Lower Green Lane, Astley.

It has been estimated that each lab had the capacity to produce 200,000 tablets an hour, with supplies made to order for customers across an extensive criminal network. Greater Manchester Police's Serious Organised Crime unit have discovered orders for millions of tablets, and one shipment of 2.6m pills was intercepted en route to Scotland.

Around £20,000 in cash and assets including designer watches worth around £30,000 were seized, along with three firearms – including handguns – and ammunition. It is thought that the gang had been producing the pills for a couple of years, using bulk chemicals thought to have been sourced from China.

The four men charged in connection with the activity are:

Callum Dorrian (31) of Guilford Road, Eccles; Lee Ryan Drury (42) of Everton Street, Swinton; John Eric Spiby (77) of Lower Green Astley, and; John Colin Spiby (33) of Britannia Street, Salford.

Charges levelled at the four include conspiracy to supply class B and C drugs, as well as criminal property, firearms and offensive weapon related offences.

They have all been remanded and are due to appear at Manchester and Salford Magistrates’ Court today.