A man extradited from Spain has admitted importing cocaine hidden in gas canisters as part of an NCA‑led Operation Venetic conspiracy.
A man who was extradited to the UK to face drugs charges has admitted his part in the importation of large amounts of cocaine including loads hidden in empty gas cannisters.
Andrew Doran, 42, originally from the Kirkby area of Merseyside, had been arrested by Spanish police in southern Spain following a National Crime Agency appeal earlier this year.
He was returned to the UK on 1 October by specialist National Extradition Unit officers from the NCA’s Joint International Crime Centre.
Doran used the encrypted communications platform EncroChat to discuss his offending, under the handle of “jurgensixnineteen”.
He admitted his role in a plot to smuggle cocaine from The Netherlands into the UK hidden in gas canisters. The containers had been cut open then welded shut and re-painted after the drugs had been placed inside.
Between October 2019 and April 2020, 12 gas bottles were collected by vehicles from locations in Chatham, Kent, Corby and Northampton, and Peterborough. Each bottle contained between 12 and 16 kilos of cocaine, which totalled 172 kilos. Hidden compartments in the vehicles were used for the onward transportation of money and drugs.
Doran played a pivotal role in the conspiracy, working closely with Kevin Taylor, 43, from Newcastle upon Tyne, whose EncroChat handle was “loyalmover”. Taylor was jailed for 27 years on 26 September this year.
Doran liaised with international contacts, working closely with criminals in The Netherlands to facilitate the importations.
He also instructed Taylor to collect and move large sums of money from drugs sales in the North East, organising the cash’s transfer south and abroad for further drugs importations using his numerous couriers and the token system. The cash was generally moved in batches of £250,000 at a time.
He also arranged for the importation of 42 kilos of cocaine which was planned to be smuggled from the Netherlands between March and June 2020.
The investigations formed part of Operation Venetic, the UK NCA-led law enforcement response to the takedown of the EncroChat service in June 2020.
Doran appeared at Newcastle Crown Court today (12 December) where he admitted drugs importation charges. He was remanded into custody until his sentencing hearing at the same court on 27 February 2026.
NCA branch commander Martin Clarke said:
“Andrew Doran was a key player in this conspiracy, instructing criminal contacts at home and abroad on how the cocaine should be moved and what to do with it when it reached the UK.
“He may have felt untouchable in Spain but his extradition to the UK shows that we will never give up on the pursuit of justice, wherever criminals are in the world.
“Individuals like Doran have no concern for the immense harm that class A drugs like cocaine can cause to communities. Their sole motivation is financial gain and they will go to any lengths to transport their commodity, in this case hidden inside gas cannisters.
“The cocaine trade leads to violence and exploitation at every level, which is why the NCA continues to work with partners at home and abroad to disrupt the organised criminals who control it, and protect the public.”
Reports are sourced from official documents, law-enforcement updates, and credible investigations.
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