Report to the People
23rd October 2006
Take
Them for Every Penny
Not
only did the recent Operation Triplicate raids seize nearly £55,000 worth of
drugs from 30 suspected local drug dealers, they also netted more than £33,000
in cash.
Those
arrested, though, stand to lose more than a few thousand pounds and their
liberty.
Under
the Proceeds of Crime Act, their houses, cars, jewellery, bank accounts,
investments, in fact every penny of their ill-gotten gains, can now be seized.
And, even if suspected criminals aren’t convicted, the courts can still
strip them of any assets they can’t show were earned legitimately. In
other words, those who turn up to sign on in a brand-new BMW and hand-stitched
tracksuit will have some serious explaining to do.
It
is my understanding that special investigators are freezing bank accounts and
confiscating homes and cars. And,
to make sure they get the lot, bank and mortgage statements are also being
trawled through.
Once
seized, incidentally, this cash doesn’t just languish in the government’s
coffers. Instead it is ploughed
into rebuilding and regenerating communities such as the east end of Greenock.
No
matter how determined they are, though, the police can’t use these new powers
if they don’t know who to hit. The
success of Operation Triplicate owes much to members of the public, sick and
tired of drug dealers living the high life off the backs of everyone else,
taking a stand and passing on the intelligence the police need. Calling
Crimestoppers free and in total confidence on 0800 555 111 can make the
difference.
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