Former detective jailed after stealing almost 4kg of cocaine from police stores

A cocaine-addicted detective who stole almost £400,000 worth of drugs from police stores and passed them on to criminals has been jailed for 19 years.

Former Greater Manchester Police (GMP) detective Andrew Talbot, 54, conspired with convicted drug dealer Keith Bretherton, 50, to sell the stolen drugs, Liverpool Crown Court heard.

Sentencing him on Friday, Judge Neil Flewitt KC said: “Thanks to diligent and dedicated police work, large quantities of Class A drugs were picked up off the streets by officers of Greater Manchester Police, many of whom were your colleagues.”

“Because of your addiction and greed, a significant amount of this cocaine has been put back into circulation.

“You have deceived your colleagues and abused the trust they and the community placed in you.”

The investigation into Talbot by GMP’s anti-corruption unit began in February 2020 after he dropped a small bag of cocaine outside his daughter’s primary school.

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

“It’s not surprising that they contacted the police knowing he was a police officer.”

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

Ziplock bags and a piece of paper containing exhibition notices relating to Operation Cosmetic, which was investigating the nationwide cocaine supply, were found in his car, and three bullets were found at his home in Leigh, Greater Manchester.

When officers checked drugs seized as part of Operation Cosmetic and carried out a further investigation, they discovered almost 4kg of cocaine was missing.

Mr Lake said: “He accepted that when he visited the property business he took as many bags as would fit in his pockets.”

The court heard the drugs had an estimated wholesale value of £140,000 and a retail value of £394,500.

Talbot conducted several searches of GMP’s confidential computer systems for known or suspected drug dealers in his area.

The judge said: “While 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 up and sold it on the street.”

The court also heard that Talbot provided confidential police information to a friend who was being investigated for assault and Bretherton to help him collect a drugs debt worth more than £20,000.

Ryan Donoghue, defending Talbot, said there was no evidence that Talbot lived a “lavish lifestyle”.

He said: “He had a long-standing cocaine addiction at the time.”

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

Talbot was found guilty after a trial of supplying a Class A controlled drug, misconduct in public office and failing to provide the passcode to his phone.

He previously pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of cocaine, possession of ammunition without a firearms license, theft of cocaine, conspiring with Bretherton to commit misconduct in public office, another count of misconduct in public office and trespassing known computer material.

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