Crackdown Nets Criminals Over £3.7 Million in Kent and Essex
Financial whizzes at the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate have smashed through criminals’ wallets, recovering a whopping £3.7 million in cash and assets over the 2019/20 financial year. Using the tough Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA), officers have stripped drug dealers, money launderers, and fraudsters of their ill-gotten gains.
High-Profile Hauls and Court Wins
- February 2020: Nearly £30,000 returned to elderly victims after a conman posing as a police officer was hit with a confiscation hearing. Police sold his luxury watch and diamond ring at auction. The fraudster was jailed for five years in 2018.
- December 2019: More than £30,000 found stashed inside children’s toys seized at the Channel Tunnel was confiscated via a forfeiture order, even though no criminal convictions came from the case.
- October 2019: £5,000 forfeited from a Headcorn woman convicted of fraud and drug offences. She was jailed for three and a half years in 2019 after being caught with cash and class A drugs.
- August 2019: Ramsgate drug dealer handed a £187,000 confiscation order for six years of drug dealing, including amphetamine distribution. He got a 12-month suspended sentence and 150 hours community service in 2018.
- May 2019: £28,261 ordered repaid by a man caught with 50 counterfeit iPhones after defrauding stores by swapping genuine phones for fakes. He was jailed for over two years in 2018.
- June 2019: £360,000 seized from a cannabis cultivator who operated across several towns from 2013 to 2015. The grower was locked up for 14 years in 2017.
POCA: The Tough Law Hitting Criminals Where It Hurts
The Proceeds of Crime Act is a powerful tool to claw back cash and property from criminals. It works two ways:
- Confiscation orders force offenders to pay back the money they’ve gained from crime — netting £2.46 million in this period.
- Forfeiture orders strip criminals of unlawful assets and property — adding up to over £1.26 million recovered.
Kent Police Vows to Keep Up Pressure
“£3.7 million is a huge sum of money to be taken from criminals and this figure is a testament to the important and outstanding work that has been carried out by the Financial Investigation Unit,” said Assistant Chief Constable Tim Smith.
“Behind every crime is a victim, many vulnerable, and it’s not right offenders should profit from their wrongdoing. We’ll use every tool available to bring them to justice.”
“The Proceeds of Crime Act stops criminals from enjoying the rewards of their crimes even after they’ve been caught and jailed. We’ll never let up in targeting those who cause harm in our communities.”
The recovered cash is shared with operational agencies, including Kent Police, under the Asset Recovery Incentivisation Scheme, which ploughs funds back into fighting crime.
