Alleged drug dealing PC 'dropped cocaine bag at school'

Ex-Greater Manchester Police officer Andrew Talbot is accused of taking the drugs from a police evidence store

A police officer's drug dealing was discovered after he accidentally dropped a bag of cocaine at his daughter's primary school, a court has heard.

Andrew Talbot, of Greater Manchester Police, was arrested on 17 February 2020, four days after the incident, which was recorded on the Wigan school's CCTV cameras.

The 54-year-old has been accused of taking four kilograms of cocaine from a police evidence store, before illegally accessing data to search for drug dealers in his local area.

The now-suspended Mr Talbot has denied charges of supplying cocaine, misconduct in a public office by accessing GMP intelligence information and failure to comply with subsequent police investigations.

James Lake, prosecuting, told Liverpool Crown Court: "The inescapable and common sense conclusion to draw is he was looking for an outlet for the cocaine he was stealing."

He said despite Mr Talbot denying supplying the cocaine, he had admitted to stealing it in the first place and to accessing the computer system to search for known or suspected drug dealers in his local area.

When interviewed, the officer said he had been a cocaine user, the court heard

He has also admitted conspiring with convicted drug dealer Keith Bretherton by using his position as a police officer to help him recover a drug debt.

The prosecutor said Mr Talbot had also pleaded guilty to accessing police computer systems to provide information to a close friend who was being investigated for assault.

Mr Talbot, however, denies supplying the cocaine to another between 13 February 2018 and 21 January 2020.

He also denies misconduct in a public office by accessing intelligence information about known or suspected drug dealers in the Greater Manchester area between May 2018 and February 2020.

Mr Lake explained that while he accepted searching the computer systems he denies doing it for the purpose of supply and was not guilty of misconduct.

The third offence he denies is failing to comply with a notice under the Regulation Investigatory Powers Act, which Mr Lake explained involved Mr Talbot failing to provide the investigating team with the correct pin number for his phone.

'Unhealthy relationship'

Mr Lake told the court that at the time of Talbot’s suspension he was working within the serious crime division at Nexus House.

An investigation began after the drug wrap was found and he was searched at work when officers also found further cocaine on him and in his car, the court heard.

“It was plainly cocaine he had stolen from the GMP property store,” Mr Lake said.

“The cocaine seized from those operations was re-weighed by the forensic science service and just under four kilograms - 3.943kg - was missing from the relevant exhibit bags.

“Four kilograms of cocaine is far too much for personal use, even for someone who was a user, which he was.”

Mr Lake claimed that Mr Talbot had “an unhealthy and criminal relationship with Keith Bretherton” and he was one of his outlets for the stolen cocaine.

When interviewed in February 2020 the officer said he had been a cocaine user since 2012 and had taken the drugs to work because he did not want to leave them at home where his children were.

He said he would buy an ounce at a time for £800.

The trial continues.