Thousands of pounds of suspected drug money has been seized by North Yorkshire Police’s Financial Investigation Unit.
Northallerton Magistrates’ Court today (Thursday 23 June 2011) signed off a Forfeiture Order amounting to £14,000 which was confiscated under the Proceeds of Crime Act, late last year.
The cash was seized when police stopped and searched a blue Audi S3 car, occupied by four men from West Yorkshire, on the A19 at Dishforth, in the early hours of Thursday 16 December 2010.
Financial Investigators subsequently interviewed the men and launched a painstaking investigation into the origins of the money.
The claimant of the £14,000 provided an account of what he was using the money for, however police were able to contradict his claims and prove that the cash was strongly linked to drug dealing.
No charges were brought against the men but police successfully applied to keep the cash.
Detective Inspector Ian Wills, of North Yorkshire Police’s Financial Investigation Unit, said: “This is a superb outcome, which comes as the result of a thorough investigation led by Financial Investigator Steve Wright.
“The result shows that North Yorkshire Police will pursue criminals from across the region in order to deprive them of the proceeds of their crimes.”
During the last financial year, the force’s Financial Investigation Unit recovered £1,339,479.32, after pursuing criminals through the courts to retrieve their illegal earnings under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
