Former GMP detective Andrew Talbot jailed for stealing cocaine ordered to repay £75,420. SCCTD prosecution led by James Lake and Matthew Moore-Taylor.

Former GMP Detective Andrew Talbot

Under the direction of the Specialist Crime and Counter Terrorism Division (SCCTD), the prosecution team including, James Lake leading Matthew Moore-Taylor, secured a conviction in a major criminal case.

A former Greater Manchester Police detective who stole almost £400,000 worth of cocaine from a police property store was ordered to repay more than £75,000 or face an extended prison sentence.

Andrew Talbot, 55, a former detective constable, was exposed after he accidentally dropped a bag of cocaine outside his daughter’s school in February 2020. Subsequent investigation revealed that Talbot himself, a cocaine addict, had stolen just under 4kg of the drug and had conspired with convicted dealer Keith Bretherton to distribute it.

Following a trial at Liverpool Crown Court, Talbot was convicted and sentenced in October 2024 to 19 years’ imprisonment. At a later proceeds of crime hearing, the court found he had benefited from criminal conduct amounting to £179,372. The court has now ordered him to repay £75,420 within three months or face an additional two years in custody.

Sentencing Talbot, Judge Neil Flewitt KC said:

“You deceived your colleagues and you betrayed the trust placed in you by them and the community.”

Detective Inspector John Andrew of GMP said the result demonstrates the force’s commitment to rooting out corruption:

“Talbot is already paying for his crimes by losing his livelihood and his liberty, and now he must financially pay for his crimes. This outcome shows in the strongest terms that any officer guilty of corruption will be fully brought to justice and will not be allowed to gain at the expense of colleagues and the public.”

A spokesperson for the Crown Prosecution Service added that Talbot’s conduct represented a serious abuse of trust:

“Andrew Talbot comprehensively abused his position as a police detective. He stole drugs from Greater Manchester Police’s property store, which he brazenly supplied on the streets of the same city he had a duty to protect. It is right that he should not benefit as a result.”