Greater Manchester Police Detective Jailed for 19 Years for Drug Dealing After Dropping Cocaine Outside Daughter’s School

A former detective constable for Greater Manchester Police (GMP), Andrew Talbot, has been sentenced to 19 years in prison after being found guilty of stealing nearly £400,000 worth of cocaine. The investigation into Talbot began after he dropped a bag of drugs outside his daughter’s primary school.

At Liverpool Crown Court on Friday, Judge Neil Flewitt KC highlighted the impact of Talbot’s actions, stating, “As a result of conscientious and dedicated police work, large quantities of Class A drugs were taken off the streets by officers of Greater Manchester Police, many of whom were your colleagues. As a result of your addiction and greed, a significant quantity of that cocaine was put back into circulation.”

The court heard that school staff members discovered a snap bag containing white powder on the footpath, which led to a review of the school’s CCTV footage. The video revealed that Talbot had dropped the bag, prompting school officials to notify the police.

When officers arrested Talbot at work on February 17, 2020, they found 26.8 grams of high-purity cocaine in his coat pocket, along with smaller amounts of lower purity. Additionally, snap bags and a piece of paper related to Operation Cosmetic—an investigation into the nationwide supply of cocaine—were discovered in his car. Officers also found three bullets at his residence in Leigh, Greater Manchester.

Upon further investigation, police discovered that just under 4 kilograms of cocaine were missing from the evidence seized in Operation Cosmetic and another investigation. Prosecutor James Lake stated that Talbot admitted to taking “pocketfuls” of drugs from the property store. The stolen drugs had an estimated wholesale value of £140,000 and a retail value of £394,500.

In addition to the theft, Talbot accessed confidential police information regarding known or suspected drug dealers in Greater Manchester. Judge Flewitt noted that although the exact method of disposal of the stolen cocaine was unclear, it was likely that Talbot sold it to criminals, who then cut it and resold it on the streets.

Talbot’s defence attorney, Ryan Donoghue, claimed that there was no evidence of a lavish lifestyle and emphasised Talbot’s long-standing addiction to cocaine, which had developed following personal difficulties and his involvement in a police operation in which armed police shot Anthony Grainger.

Talbot was convicted of multiple charges, including supplying Class A drugs, misconduct in public office, and unauthorised access to computer material. He admitted to two counts of possession of cocaine, possession of ammunition without a firearm certificate, theft of cocaine, and conspiracy with Keith Bretherton, a convicted drug dealer who received an eight-and-a-half-year sentence for related charges.