A police officer who stole cocaine from work to sell on the streets of Manchester has been found guilty of misconduct and supplying class A drugs.
Andrew Talbot was a detective in Greater Manchester Police’s (GMP) serious crime division when he took just under 4kg of the drug from an evidence store.
He also used police systems to search for drug dealers to help him sell the cocaine, Liverpool Crown Court heard.
Talbot supplied the drug between 2018 and 2020, but was caught when he accidentally dropped a small bag of cocaine outside his daughter’s school.
After the incident at the school in February 2020, he was searched at work and more of the drug was found. Drug paraphernalia and a GMP property bag showing traces of cocaine were then discovered at his home.
Cocaine held in the property store, recovered from two police operations, was weighed and a significant quantity was found to be missing.
The trial was told a piece of paper in Talbot’s car matched the property number for the cocaine and photos of the drug were found on his phone.
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Jurors heard Talbot, 54, conspired with drug dealer Keith Bretherton to sell the cocaine and gave him confidential police information to help him recover a £20,000 drug debt.
Talbot was found guilty on Wednesday of supplying class A drugs, misconduct in public office, and failing to comply with a notice under the Regulation and Investigatory Powers Act 2000.
He previously admitted a string of other charges including possession of cocaine, possession of ammunition without a firearm certificate, theft of cocaine and unauthorised access to computer material.
He was sacked from the force in August 2024, which GMP said was the earliest legal opportunity.
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Bretherton, 50 pleaded guilty to possession of cannabis and possession of cocaine with intent to supply, and conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office.
The pair, who are both from Leigh in Greater Manchester, will be sentenced on 18 October.
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Detective Chief Inspector Jennifer Adams, of GMP’s anti-corruption unit, said Talbot’s actions were “appalling” and “involved him abusing his position of power for his own personal gratification and criminal gains”.
She added: “Talbot took an oath to be a police officer and to serve the public but instead began to abuse this position to enter a world of criminality.”
