A gang leader who co-ordinated a £4m fake Xanax drug-making operation in sheds and garages across the West Midlands has been jailed for eight years.

Up to 11 million tablets were made in various locations in Tipton, Wednesbury and Wolverhampton and then sold on the dark web via cryptocurrency payments.

The criminal enterprise, between 2018 and 2019, was run from a luxury villa in Thailand by Brian Pitts, 30, who is one of 10 being sentenced for their part in the operation.

The fake tablets were shipped across the UK and to the USA, Wolverhampton Crown Court heard.

Tests revealed the amount of the active ingredient Alprazalam in the fake tablets varied from none at all to twice the proper amount.

Pitts, who had earlier pleaded guilty to six charges, including conspiracy to supply Class C drugs, was described by Judge John Butterfield as “the beating heart of this enterprise”.

He said the ringleader controlled every part of the drugs operation and was constantly involved in it.

Pitts, of Beebee Road, in Wednesbury, was arrested by police when he returned to the UK with his then-partner Katie Harlow, who was also part of the Thai end of the criminal operation.

The officers were able to seize his mobile phone, which prosecutors described as a “goldmine of information”, showing his involvement at all levels of the operation.

Four other members of the gang were jailed on Thursday, with five others due to be sentenced in the coming days.

Harlow, 27, of Lane Street, Bilston, was sentenced to two years and one month, after she earlier admitted a charge of converting and transferring criminal property.

Judge Butterfield said that while it appeared Pitts had taken some actions in her name, none of them were without her knowledge.

Lee Lloyd, 48, of Shakespeare Road, Tipton, was sentenced to seven years and two months, after earlier admitting six charges, including conspiracy to supply Class C drugs.

Kyle Smith, 26, of Arundel Road, Willenhall, was jailed for four years. He had previously pleaded guilty to five charges, including conspiracy to supply Class C drugs.

Mark Bayley, 63, of Jeremy Road, Wolverhampton, was sentenced to six years and five months. He also previously pleaded guilty to five charges, including conspiracy to supply Class C drugs and possession with intent to supply Class B drugs.

Judge Butterfield said it would be wrong to dismiss the enterprise as “a minor cottage industry” and that it was instead “large scale, organised and determined”.

The gang had initially come to light after an investigation was launched by Pfizer, the manufacturer of the genuine Xanax tablets, which are used to treat anxiety.

The inquiry was then picked up by the Regional Organised Crime Unit, which discovered the gang had purchased legally four pill-making machines, enabling them to press more than 16,000 tablets an hour.

While the gang made £4m, the number of tablets they made could have fetched them more than £11m, the court heard.

The gang also purchased the powders needed to make the tablets and fake Xanax stamps.

Illicit Alprazolam can contain other unknown and potentially harmful sedative drugs, and has been linked with a number of deaths in both the UK and US when mixed with other potent drugs.

The UK Health Security Agency said there was evidence use was “a growing problem, particularly among young people and young adults”.

Cranstoun, a harm reduction charity in the Black Country, said counterfeit drugs were often “much more potent and stronger than the drugs they are masquerading as”.

“We’re proud of the role we played alongside the authorities to ensure these serious criminals were brought to justice,” said Patrick Holt, director of global security at Pfizer.

“We dedicated time, resource and expertise to ensure these illicit counterfeit activities were prevented in order to protect public health.”