Drug dealer who planned to flood streets with £9m of cocaine and heroin jailed for 17 years

Saturday, 10 May 2025 00:53

By David Murphy

A Middleton man has been sentenced to 17 years in prison after admitting to orchestrating the supply of millions of pounds worth of class A drugs across Greater Manchester.

Nathan Taylor, 39, of Marquess Way, Middleton, has been jailed for 17 years after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine and heroin, following an investigation led by Greater Manchester Police’s Challenger team in Tameside.

Taylor was found to have coordinated the purchase and planned distribution of large quantities of class A and class B drugs, including 89kg of cocaine, 1kg of heroin and 5kg of ketamine, between February and June 2020. He spent nearly £3 million acquiring the drugs, which had an estimated street value exceeding £9 million.

He also admitted to conspiracy to supply class B drugs, cannabis and ketamine, and to money laundering. He received concurrent sentences of eight years and five years respectively for those offences.

Though no drugs or large sums of cash were recovered during the investigation, crucial evidence came from encrypted mobile phones using the Encrochat platform, a communication tool commonly favoured by organised crime groups.

Taylor was linked to two encrypted handles, ‘surlycat’ and ‘lemonflicker’, through distinctive tattoos and geo-location data. He was arrested at his home in August 2021.

Detective Constable Daniel Riley said: “Taylor thought he was above the law, operating behind technology to avoid detection. What he didn’t realise was that officers were tracking his communications, and we ultimately used them against him.”

“Although no physical drugs were recovered, the encrypted phone messages clearly demonstrated Taylor’s role in acquiring and distributing significant quantities of illegal substances.”

Detective Inspector Ian Parker added: “Our Challenger teams are committed to tackling serious organised crime. This sentence shows that these offences will not be tolerated and that we will act on information provided by our communities.”