Folkestone Drug Dealer Slapped with £200k Payback Order
Sam Hemmingway’s High-Stakes Bust
Sam Hemmingway, 35, from Folkestone, has been hit with a massive £195,821 confiscation order after his drug dealing empire was crushed. Police raided his home in Millfield, Hawkinge, in October 2022, finding cannabis, a knuckleduster, and a stash of cash.
Detailed phone message analysis revealed Hemmingway’s role moving significant quantities of cannabis – a class B drug.
Jail Time and Heavy Fines
Hemmingway didn’t dodge justice. He was sentenced to two years and three months behind bars after pleading guilty to possession and supply of cannabis and carrying an offensive weapon. But the hammer didn’t stop there.
Kent Police’s financial investigators tracked down nearly £200,000 worth of his ill-gotten gains. A confiscation order was slapped on him at Canterbury Crown Court on September 25, 2024.
He must cough up within three months – otherwise, he faces an extra three years inside, even if the debt remains unpaid.
Police Strike Back Against Drug Crime
“Many criminals are attracted to drug dealing because they believe it is an easy way to make money and because they care little for the harm it causes to everyday people,” said Detective Inspector David Godfrey.
“What they perhaps don’t realise is that after they are arrested and convicted, we will take the money and assets earned unlawfully from them and will continue to do so until every penny has been paid back.”
Where the Cash Goes
The recovered assets head to the Home Office and frontline agencies like Kent Police through the Asset Recovery Incentivisation Scheme, turning criminal profits into support for the very forces fighting crime.
