Drug firm's probe led to £4m fake pill gang

POLICE RAID FOUND MACHINERY TO PRODUCE 10,000 TABLETS AN HOUR

- JASBIR AUTHI

A GANG has been jailed for nearly 50 years after they manufactured huge fake quantities of an anti-anxiety pill before selling it on the dark web.

Brian Pitts, 30, of Wednesbury, and his father-in-law Lee Lloyd were the main players, co-ordinating production and sales online from Thailand.

It is estimated that more than £4 million worth of drugs were sold to customers, primarily in the USA, using Bitcoin to receive payment.

Other members of the 10-strong gang included Mark Bailey and Deborah Bellingham, whose addresses in Wolverhampton and Tipton were used as manufacturing sites.

The rest of the group - Kyle Smith, Scott Tonkinson, Anthony Pitts, Jordan Pitts, Katie Harlow and Bladen Roper - assisted with the business.