A DEALER planning to supply £9 million worth of drugs has been jailed for 17 years after a police investigation in Tameside.
Nathan Taylor has been put behind bars after admitting two counts of conspiracy to supply class A drugs – heroin and cocaine.
The 39-year-old, of Marquess Way in Middleton, was also sentenced to concurrent sentences of eight years for two counts of conspiring to supply class B drugs – cannabis and ketamine – and five years for money laundering.
Taylor pleaded guilty to the charges at an earlier hearing at Manchester’s Minshull Street Crown Court.
Police say he orchestrated the purchase and distribution of substantial quantities of drugs between February 2020 and June 2020, handled 89kg of cocaine, 1kg of heroin and 5kg of ketamine.
Taylor paid nearly £3 million for these drugs, with an approximate street value exceeding £9 million.
Although no drugs or significant amounts of money were recovered during the investigation, police found evidence against Taylor through encrypted mobile phones – commonly used by organised crime groups using Encrochat software.
He linked to the encrypted handles ‘surlycat’ and ‘lemonflicker’ through matching tattoos on his body and geo-location data, and was arrested at his home in August 2021.
A senior cop on the case says the sentence serves as a reminder that ‘such criminality will not be tolerated’.
“Taylor thought he was above the law, operating behind technology to avoid detection from the authorities,” said Detective Constable Daniel Riley.
“What he didn’t know is that officers were tracking his words and ultimately used them against him. Our investigation managed to reveal Taylor as the purchaser of substantial quantities of drugs.”
Police say anyone concerned about criminal activity in their area can report it directly to the force by calling 101 or using the online reporting tool at www.gmp.police.uk