Andrew Doran, a drug dealer who attempted to flood the North East with cocaine, has been jailed for 18 years. The 42-year-old was extradited back to the UK to face criminal charges after he was previously arrested in southern Spain.
Doran, originally of Merseyside, was returned to this country by National Extradition Unit officers, part of the National Crime Agency's Joint International Crime Centre. He used encrypted communication platform EncroChat to discuss the offending, but he did not remain too careful.
How police tracked him down
After posting the route of a jog on the Strava app under an alias, police were able to work out where in the world he was. Despite having the username "jurgensixnineteen", he was also saved by other people under 'BOND' and 'Dan Craig', due to a perceived resemblance, giving police another clue.
Doran admitted his role in the cocaine smuggling plot, which involved moving the illegal substance from The Netherlands to the UK hidden in gas canisters, which had been cut open and then welded shut and re-painted with the drugs inside.
The smuggling operation
During the period between October 2019 and April 2020, 12 gas bottles were collected from hidden compartments in vehicles, with each containing between 12 and 16 kilos of cocaine, totalling 172 kilos. Doran worked closely with Kevin Taylor, 44, of Newcastle, who was jailed for 27 years in 2025.
Through liaisons with contacts, Doran was able to facilitate the importations, and instructed Taylor to move large sums of money from drug sales in the North East. In one message, Doran told Taylor they had "over half a mil in the flat" in Spain that "needs to be back in UK", and Taylor responded with a photo of a kilo of compressed cocaine.
He also arranged for 42 kilos of cocaine to be imported, planned to be smuggled from The Netherlands between March and June 2020, and with the cocaine and other drugs imported in the canisters, it had a combined estimated street value of £18 million.
Sentencing and reaction
This action was part of Operation Venetic, the UK NCA-led law enforcement response to the takedown of the EncroChat service in June 2020. After pleading guilty to the drugs importation charges at Newcastle Crown Court last December, Doran has been sentenced to 18 years behind bars today.
NCA branch commander Gavin Heckles said: "Andrew Doran had a central role in this plot, telling criminal associates at home and overseas how the drugs should be transported and distributed once in the UK. His extradition shows that criminals living in Spain are not beyond our reach, and we will never relent in securing justice."
"Class A drugs like cocaine cause huge amounts of harm to communities across the UK, and create violence and exploitation at every level. We will continue to work with partners at home and abroad to pursue the criminal networks behind this trade and protect the public."
