Fake Xanax tablets accused pleads guilty

Lee Lloyd has pleaded guilty to six charged in relation to the production of fake Xanax tablets

A man accused of producing fake Xanax tablets allegedly destined for the US has pleaded guilty.

Lee Lloyd's change of plea on six charges led prosecutors to drop their case against one of his co-defendants.

Lloyd, 47, Bladen Roper, Samantha Gibbons, and Jordan Pitts were due to be tried at Wolverhampton Crown Court in relation to the production of millions of fake Xanax tablets, allegedly made to be sold via the dark web.

However after Lloyd, from Shakespeare Road in Tipton, admitted the charges, the case was dropped against Gibbons, 44, of BeeBee Road in Wednesbury.

Lloyd pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to supply Class C Drugs, namely Alprazolam, a drug used to treat anxiety and panic disorders which is sold under the brand name Xanax.

He also admitted a count of conspiracy to use an unauthorised trademark infringement, in relation to Xanax.

Furthermore, he pleaded guilty to one count of transfer of criminal property and two counts of fraudulent evasion of excise duty (VAT), otherwise known as money laundering.

Judge HHJ John Butterworth adjourned Lloyd's case after he changed his pleas and released him, but told him he must adhere to his bail conditions until he is sentenced.

Xanax can only be obtained via private prescription in the UK

Prosecutors then told Judge Butterworth the change in Lloyd's pleas meant they had no evidence to put forward in their case against Samantha Gibbons, leading the judge to accept a not-guilty verdict in relation to her.

A trial will now go ahead with two co-defendants: Bladen Roper, aged 24, of Powis Avenue in Tipton, and Jordan Pitts, aged 25, of Hickman Road in Tipton.

The jury was selected and empaneled on Wednesday, but prosecutors will not make their opening remarks until Friday, to allow prosecutors to reassess their statements in the wake of the verdict on Ms Gibbons.

Seven other defendants have already pleaded guilty in relation to a range of connected charges, including conspiracy to supply Class C drugs and money laundering.

Children take fake Xanax

Xanax is a powerful tranquiliser used to treat anxiety and panic attacks, and is not available on the NHS.

However, it can be obtained on private prescription in the UK, is widely prescribed in the US, and counterfeit versions circulate on the black market.

In 2019, Northern Ireland coroner Joe McCrisken, said he was signing off an alprazolam-related death nearly once a week.

He said "most of the deaths" were caused by counterfeit versions of Xanax.

"The deaths are a very tiny tip of what is a very huge iceberg," he said.

In 2018, the BBC found that children as young as 11 were being treated by ambulance services after taking fake versions of Xanax.