Ringleader jailed for multimillion-pound fake medicine operation

A man who ran a multimillion-pound operation trafficking counterfeit drugs, including fake Xanax tablets, has been sentenced to eight years in prison.

Brian Pitts, 30, from Bilston, was found guilty of multiple offences including conspiracy to distribute Class C drugs, trademark infringement, exporting controlled substances and money laundering.

Pitts received his sentence alongside nine other individuals at Wolverhampton Crown Court.

The criminal network, which involved several members of the same extended family, was based in the Black Country.

They operated from makeshift pill production facilities set up in garages and garden sheds, using industrial-grade pill presses and chemicals sourced from China.

Jonathan Kelleher from the Crown Prosecution Service said: “This was a case of fake medicines being produced on an industrial scale, with significant potential harm to the public. These drugs should only be prescribed by a doctor and anyone buying them on the Dark Web, produced in a back-garden shed, has no clue what they are taking. Brian Pitts and his associates were not concerned with these dangers and only saw a money-making opportunity.

Pitts, who went by the online alias “Milkman,” and his father-in-law, Lee Lloyd, were the primary figures behind the operation.

Together, they coordinated the manufacture and sale of counterfeit pills, largely targeting customers in the United States through Dark Web markets from their location in Thailand.

Lloyd’s partner, Katie Harlow, played a role in laundering the illicit profits and was sentenced to over two years in prison.

The operation generated an estimated £4m in sales, with Bitcoin being used as the primary method of payment.

Other members of the group included Mark Bailey and Deborah Bellingham, who operated drug manufacturing sites at their homes in Wolverhampton and Tipton.

Kyle Smith, Scott Tonkinson, Anthony Pitts, Jordan Pitts, and Bladen Roper also contributed to running the illegal enterprise.

Authorities were able to intercept numerous shipments of counterfeit Xanax both in the UK and the United States, in part due to collaboration with US law enforcement.

Some of the intercepted parcels were traced back to the defendants, with one package containing Brian Pitts’ fingerprints on the inside of the packaging.

Phone records showed that Pitts, Harlow, and Lloyd controlled the Dark Web platforms used to sell the fake Xanax and were linked to cryptocurrency accounts that facilitated transactions.

Pitts, Harlow, and Lloyd were arrested in August 2019 after returning from Thailand, where they were found in possession of designer clothes and luxury Rolex watches.

As well as his prison term, Pitts was handed a Serious Crime Prevention Order, which will restrict his ability to acquire the equipment needed for drug production and allow authorities to monitor his financial and online activities closely.

Kelleher continued: “The CPS worked closely with the West Midlands Regional Organised Crime Unit, including experts in cyber-crime given that much of this offending took place online, to prosecute these organised criminals and protect the public from this harmful trade.”