Three men linked to a drugs gang operating across Salford and Greater Manchester have been jailed after a police investigation uncovered large-scale cocaine and cannabis dealing, money laundering and cultivating cannabis.
The investigation included key raids and arrests in Salford that helped dismantle the organised crime group.
At Manchester Crown Court, Warren Barnes, 38, of no fixed abode, was sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison. Prosecutors said Barnes directed the criminal operation while living abroad, using encrypted messaging under the alias “Pablo Picasso” and describing himself as a “cocaine artist”.
Paul Taylor, 49, from Swinton, was jailed for five years and three months, while his son Adam Taylor, 25, of Peel Green Road in Eccles, was sentenced to three years. All three admitted a series of drug and money laundering offences at an earlier hearing.
Two other members of the group received suspended prison sentences.
On 12 May 2023, officers from Greater Manchester Police’s Salford Challenger team executed a warrant at Paul Taylor’s home in Salford. Taylor admitted there were drugs inside the property before officers carried out a search.
Police recovered 182g of cocaine, more than 3kg of cannabis and £5,000 in cash, along with weighing scales, snap bags and other equipment linked to drug dealing. The drugs were estimated to have a street value of more than £45,000.
Examination of mobile phones seized during the warrant revealed Taylor was communicating through encrypted messaging platforms using the alias “Del Boy”.
Messages revealed regular contact with Barnes, whose username was “Pablo Picasso”. Investigators said the exchanges showed him directing the supply of cocaine and cannabis across Greater Manchester while living overseas. He also instructed Taylor on moving criminal profits and managing cannabis farms, despite being outside the UK.
Police said further evidence showed Paul Taylor had involved his son Adam in the organised crime group’s activities.
In November 2023, officers stopped Adam Taylor while he was driving in Salford. Searches led officers to a cannabis farm where plants with an estimated value of £26,675 were seized.
Analysis of his phone also linked him to the supply of cocaine, cannabis and ketamine.
Barnes remained on the run until August 2025 when he was arrested after being stopped by officers in Bolton. He had been wanted since February 2021 after failing to return to police bail during an earlier cannabis production investigation.
Three mobile phones, including two encrypted devices, were seized during his arrest.
Detectives found Barnes had spent years living in Dubai, Spain and Canada while continuing to oversee the organised crime group’s activities from abroad.
Evidence recovered from the devices suggested he orchestrated the supply of about 11kg of cocaine and 159kg of cannabis.
Officers also uncovered debtor lists, cryptocurrency transactions used to launder criminal proceeds and images showing what police described as his affluent lifestyle while evading arrest.
PC Brown, from Greater Manchester Police’s Serious and Organised Crime Group, said the investigation had exposed a criminal network that relied on trusted associates to distribute drugs and move illegal profits.
“Despite spending years outside the UK, Barnes continued to direct offending from abroad, believing distance and encrypted communications would protect him from law enforcement,” said PC Brown. “He was wrong.”
PC Brown added that drug trafficking fuels violence, exploitation and misery in communities, and said the group had now been dismantled through the work of police and partner agencies.
The investigation formed part of Programme Challenger, Greater Manchester’s multi-agency initiative targeting serious and organised crime across the region.
