A 'dominant' drug dealer who police said 'operated under the radar for some time' has finally been brought to justice and jailed.
The police investigation into Paul Palmer, 55, was sparked by two huge seizures of a drug which they said could prove fatal even in very small doses.
Gamma Butyrolactone or GBL - an industrial solvent and cleaner said to be highly addictive - is known in America as 'coma in a bottle' and as 'G' in the UK.
Border Force officers made two seizures of the drug with a combined weight of more than 17kg.
Subsequent investigations led the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit to Manchester.
Officers launched a raid at Palmer's home on Mossbank Court, Collyhurst, in April, where quantities of GBL and other Class A, B and C drugs were found.
He was subsequently arrested.
Palmer was found guilty by a jury after a trial at Manchester Crown Court of importing and possessing a variety of drugs with intent to supply, the NWROCU said.
He was sentenced by a judge to five years and seven months behind bars.
Police chiefs said the investigation was carried out alongside the UK Border Force postal seizure team.
Read more of today's top stories here
Palmer, they said, had 'built and maintained a secretive criminal importation and supply business'.
No further details have been revealed.
Police also haven't revealed the street value - or exact type - of the other drugs seized.
GBL is available for legitimate use in industry, as a cleaning product, but it's illegal to sell or supply it knowing or believing it will be ingested.
Once consumed, it turns into GHB in the body, the so-called date-rape drug.
The two substances have been linked to the deaths of more than 90 people between 1993 and 2017 according to the Office for National Statistics.
In recent years 'G' has exploded in popularity on the gay scene, and is increasingly available in clubs and pubs, gay and straight, according to charities.
Police chiefs have welcomed the sentencing.
The NWROCU said: "Substances, including GBL and other Class A, B and C drugs were located at Palmer's home and this evidence, along with a lengthy investigation, secured his involvement in the supply of the drugs in Manchester."
A spokesman added: "Palmer has built and maintained a secretive criminal importation and supply business where he has been dominant in providing dangerous and controlled drugs across the region.
"He has operated under the radar for some time, until our joint investigation with UKBF Postal Seizure Team uncovered his illegal activities.
"We are pleased he has now been brought to justice and praise all those involved in this complex investigation that has seen this illegal business closed down."
