Napoleons, one of Manchester's most historic Gay Village venues, could lose its premises licence at a hearing on Monday after its owner was found to be part of a major criminal operation. Guixiang Liu, 48, was listed as the business director and premises licence holder of the bar on Bloom Street, which is said to be the oldest gay venue in Manchester.
Liu and her husband Yanfeng He, 57, both of Kenmere Grove in Moston, were convicted in August following an operation by the National Crime Agency (NCA). They are due to be sentenced on October 20.
Drug parcels sent worldwide
The NCA said their investigation uncovered parcels of drugs, labelled with fake names, being sent around the world facilitated through a Chinese messaging app. The drugs were intercepted by Border Force destined for five addresses which were controlled and at times occupied by both defendants. Napoleons was one of the addresses used in the criminal operation. Other addresses involved included the couple's home address in Moston, Scrooby Road in Doncaster, and Ferry Road Avenue and Nicholson Street in Edinburgh.
The married couple were arrested and convicted on charges of conspiracy to supply Class A (MDMA) and Class B (Cannabis) drugs, and conspiracy to deal with a class A drug with intent to evade the prohibition on importation.
The premises licence at Napoleons was immediately suspended by Manchester council in September during an interim steps hearing, after Greater Manchester Police (GMP) shared details of the NCA investigation. Now, a full review of the premises licence has been scheduled for Monday (October 12) which could see the bar's licence revoked by councillors.
Police expect 'significant' jail term
GMP have submitted a public report to the council ahead of Monday's hearing which says the married couple are likely to receive a 'significant custodial sentence' for their convictions. GMP said in the report: “Since the interim steps hearing, GMP have become aware that the premises have since April 2026 been sublet by the premises licence holder to a third party who has been running the restaurant situated in the basement.
“During this period the licensing authority [Manchester council] were not advised of a transfer of the licence to a new premises licence holder, were not advised of a change to the DPS [designated premises supervisor], and we are aware that licensed activities continued until review proceedings were instigated.
“Greater Manchester Police believe that the licensing objective, the prevention of crime and disorder, has been seriously undermined by the owner, premises licence holder and DPS at Napoleons. The premises licence holder and DPS has been convicted of extremely serious offences that were committed at and using these premises. Although not yet sentenced, she remains on remand awaiting what is anticipated to be a significant custodial sentence.”
Parcels with fake names
The NCA said the parcels with fake names had Chinese names thought to be random and likely made up used on them. The parcels were destined for the five addresses the couple controlled or occupied, or to neighbouring properties. The NCA said the couple's phones were reviewed after they were arrested, and it was discovered that they were facilitating their drugs business using WeChat, a Chinese messaging app.
It was also found that the couple were directing a courier in Scotland to collect drugs parcels and either distribute the 'commodity' in Edinburgh or post the parcels overseas, mainly to southern hemisphere countries. Around 25kg of Class A and 7.5kg Class B drugs were seized from intercepted parcels, the NCA said, with an estimated combined overall street value of £1.1m.
Napoleons' fall from grace
Liu's conviction marks a fresh fall from grace for Napoleons. The bar, a mainstay of the iconic area, first opened its doors in 1941 and is renowned as the city's first gay nightclub. It was run for nearly 30 years by then-owners Anne and Melvin Taylor, who bought it from Frank Foo Foo Lammar in December 1972 while working there. They eventually sold the hotspot after putting it up for sale in 2016 for £800,000.
Speaking in 2016 about the changes they had witnessed, Anne said: “It's far better for everybody, you don't have to hide anymore. It's great that people can go anywhere and hardly anyone bats an eyelid. We have a lot of transgender people who come in and say to us ‘I was born here’. For lots and lots of people it was where they could come and knew it was going to be safe.
“If you come here, you come to respect the place and the people in it, it's as simple as that. That's our motto. It's my baby, it is definitely going to be a real wrench for me.”
After being run by new operators, it has endured a tough time. Before its latest owners used it for the base in a criminal operation, the bar had its licence to operate previously revoked in 2024 following an immigration raid. Its owner was also fined £90,000 at the time.
