Detective caught dealing drugs after dropping cocaine outside daughter’s school

A detective who stole cocaine worth almost £400,000 has been jailed for 19 years after he dropped a bag of drugs outside his daughter’s school.

Andrew Talbot, 54, was as a detective constable for Greater Manchester Police (GMP), and conspired with convicted drug dealer Keith Bretherton, 50, to sell the stolen drugs.

He became subject to an investigation after he dropped a bag of cocaine outside his daughter’s primary school.

Sentencing Talbot on Friday at Liverpool Crown Court, Judge Neil Flewitt KC said: ‘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.’

‘You deceived your colleagues and you betrayed the trust placed in you by them and the community.’

James Lake, prosecuting, said: ‘Staff members were made aware that a snap bag containing white powder had been found on the footpath. When the school looked at close circuit television they saw that it was Andrew Talbot who had dropped the snap bag.

‘Unsurprisingly, given they knew he was a police officer, they contacted the police.’

When Talbot was arrested at work on February 17 2020, a total of 26.8g of high purity cocaine was found in his coat pocket, as well as smaller amounts which were lower purity, the court heard.

Snap bags and a piece of paper with exhibit references for Operation Cosmetic, an investigation into the nationwide supply of covaine, were found in his car.

Three bullets were also found at his address in Leigh, Greater Manchester.

When officers checked drugs which had been seized as part of Operation Cosmetic and another investigation they found just under 4kg of cocaine was missing.

Mr Lake said: ‘He accepted when he attended the property store he would take pocketfuls, as much as he could fit in his pockets.’

It is estimated that the drugs had an estimated wholesale value of £140,000 and a retail value of £394,500.

Talbot carried out searches on the confidential police computer system for known or suspected drug dealers in Greater Manchester.

The judge said: ‘Although it is unclear exactly how Andrew Talbot disposed of the stolen cocaine, I have no doubt that he sold it to criminals who, in turn, cut it and sold it on the streets.’

Talbot also provided confidential police information to a friend under investigation for assault and to Bretherton, to help him recover a drug debt worth more than £20,000, the court heard.

Ryan Donoghue, defending, said there was no evidence Talbot has indulged in a ‘lavish lifestyle’.

He said: ‘He did have at the time a long-standing addiction to cocaine.’

The court heard Talbot had served in the police force for 20 years, and had spent three years in the armed forces, but had become addicted to cocaine after difficulties in his personal life and due to his role in an operation in which Anthony Grainger was shot by armed police in Culcheth, Cheshire.

Talbot was convicted after a trial of supplying Class A drugs, misconduct in public office and failing to provide the passcode for his phone.

He admitted two counts of possession of cocaine, possession of ammunition without a firearm certificate, theft of cocaine, conspiracy, with Bretherton, to commit misconduct in public office, a further count of misconduct in public office, and unauthorised access to computer material.

Bretherton, also of Leigh, Greater Manchester, admitted to possession of cannabis, possession of cocaine with intent to supply, and conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office and was given a prison sentence of eight-and-a-half years.

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