Drug Lord Gary Swift Hit with £328k Asset Seizure
Gary Swift, 55, from Liverpool, has been slapped with a massive £328,071 confiscation order at Swansea Crown Court under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
19 Years for Smuggling 751 Kilos of Pure Cocaine
Swift was locked up for 19-and-a-half years back in January 2020 after pleading guilty to importing class A drugs into the UK. The case exploded after Border Force intercepted 751 kilos of cocaine aboard the yacht SY Atrevido off the Welsh coast in August 2019.
The yacht, sailing from South America, was caught just half a mile offshore by Border Force’s cutter HMC Protector. Swift’s 750-kilo stash was found hidden all over the vessel after it was taken to Fishguard port, revealing cocaine with a deadly purity of up to 83% — worth a staggering £60 million on the streets once cut.
Luxury Watches and Yachts Also Seized in Financial Clampdown
The National Crime Agency (NCA) hit Swift’s empire hard, seizing the SY Atrevido, a second sailing yacht called SY Mistral, plus three Rolex watches, a Panerai, and a Tag Heuer, totalling around £7,000 in luxury gear. These were taken from Swift’s associates.
Authorities also froze assets including a third yacht, caravans, five cars, two vans, and a house in France.
Swift’s Own Words Seal His Doom
“I just want to say that I am guilty. I have got something substantial on the boat and they will find it,” Swift told officers after his arrest.
He later admitted, “I’m the bad one here,” even giving crucial information on the number of packages onboard the doomed yacht.
Notably, the SY Atrevido was bought just months earlier in December 2018 for €50,000 from Mallorca, Spain.
NCA: Criminal Profits Won’t Go Unpunished
Mark Spoors, NCA Regional Head of Investigations (North), said:
“To compound the misery of spending years behind bars, Swift has now been stripped of his illicit wealth, which he has accrued through his criminality. This shows the full extent of the tools at our disposal to pursue serious and organised criminals, denying them the profit of their crimes.”
