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“Ambitious target on crime assets: Scotland’s official drug busters have pledged to confiscate more than ?20m of assets generated through organised crime in the next 12 months. The new director of the Scottish Drugs Enforcement Agency (SDEA), Graeme Pearson, says it is very important to target the profits of drug gangs. . .” BBC
“I’ll grab ?20m a year from drug barons: The new boss of Scotland’s drug agency has vowed to get tough and strip criminals of millions of pounds. . .” Evening Times
Posted by MM on Mon 8th Mar 2004 at 4:39 pm“Rich dealers cash goes to poor areas: Drug dealers who live lavish lifestyles in deprived communities in Glasgow will be stripped of their cash and the money put back into the [. . .] communities they were stolen from to support local projects. . .” Evening Times
Posted by MM on Wed 28th Jan 2004 at 12:57 am“Fine line between confidentiality and crime in new laws: Unaanounced visits are something few solicitors choose to encourage, especially when the visitors are the Law Society carrying out an inspection. Every partner fears the inspection from the profession?s watchdog, which is part of the price we pay for retaining self-regulation [. . .] However, I can only imagine this feeling of dread would be multiplied tenfold when the unexpected visitors are detectives, as happened in solicitors? offices last week. The offices of three firms, including the corporate giant Maclay, Murray, Spens, were raided along with a number of homes and businesses in a demonstration of the powers now available to police under the Proceeds of Crime Act. . .” Scotsman
Posted by MM on Tue 20th Jan 2004 at 2:08 pm“Fear that crime cash seizure unit is failing to net big fish: The body set up to seize the assets of suspected drug dealers risks letting drug barons off the hook because it is being asked to investigate such a wide range of lesser offences [. . .] in the Irish Republic, where the legislation was pioneered, the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) has come under fire for pursuing lesser offenders rather than drug gang bosses, many of whom continue to live luxury lifestyles, seven years after the bureau was set up. . .” Sunday Herald
See also
Garda: Criminal Assets Bureau.
Criminal Assets Bureau Annual Report 2002-3.
Posted by MM on Mon 12th Jan 2004 at 3:19 pmMedia
“Crime proceeds case is UK first: The UK’s first successful civil court case to recover suspected proceeds of crime involved a man from Aberdeen, the Crown Office has revealed.
The ?24,000 which was paid to the authorities is thought to have come from the profits of drug trafficking. . .” BBC
“Scotland first over drug cash seizure: A civil court action has been used in Scotland to seize suspected profits of drug trafficking for the first time in the UK [. . .] He had been acquitted of drug trafficking offences after pleading not guilty, but could not account for a substantial sum of money in his bank account. He had made regular deposits, totalling ?45,970, over three years while on benefits with no other known legitimate income. His co-accused was convicted. . .” Herald
“Court seizes ?24,000 from man cleared of drug offences: Scotland’s top legal officer yesterday welcomed a landmark legal ruling in which a man previously cleared of drug trafficking offences had ?24,000 seized by a court. . .” Scotsman
“Drug crime money seized: Scottish TV
“Aberdeen man has assets seized: Grampian TV
“`Dealer’ Cash is Siezed By Civil Courts: Daily Record
Press Release
“Confiscation of drug profits: The first proceeds of crime in the UK to be paid back following a civil court action have been recovered at the Court of Session in Edinburgh by the Civil Recovery Unit (CRU) which acts on behalf of Scottish Ministers. . .” Scot. Exec.
Posted by MM on Mon 5th Jan 2004 at 4:00 pm“Courts seize criminals’ assets: Drug dealers are being targeted under the new laws
More than ?1.5m has been seized from criminals in Scotland under new powers to confiscate their assets. The Proceeds of Crime Act aims to target the ill-gotten gains of the “untouchables” of the crime world. . .” BBC
“Crime Cash Confiscated: Scots criminals have lost more than one and a half million pounds of assets under tough new legal powers to confiscate the profits of crime. . .” Grampian TV
“Dealers stripped of ?1.5m but Mr Big escapes: [. . .] Announcing the first figures from a drive to attack the finances of Scotland?s underworld, First Minister Jack McConnell said the legislation was designed to target previously “untouchable” crime lords and put an end to their “lavish lifestyles”. However, the newly created Civil Recovery Unit admitted it had not managed to strip assets from any of Scotland?s ?Mr Bigs?. . .” Scotland on Sunday
“Scotland loses cash seized from criminals to Treasury: Ravaged communities miss out as half of dealers? assets are siphoned off by Westminster. Half of all funds seized from criminals in Scotland are being taken by the Treasury rather than invested in communities ravaged by their crimes. The admission, revealed as First Minister Jack McConnell announced a record level of seizures, has prompted anger among opposition MSPs and a commitment by the Executive to challenge the arrangement with Treasury officials. . .” Sunday Herald
“Crime Inc. Loses ?5m - But special taskforce fails to find Mr Bigs’ hidden fortune” Sunday Mail
“Dirty money law putting squeeze on criminals” Sunday Post
“Drug baron campaign branded a failure” Sunday Times
Press Release
“Payback time for criminals: A record amount of cash has been seized from criminals in Scotland through new powers of seizure introduced earlier this year. Fifty per cent of the assets recovered from these criminals is retained in Scotland for initiatives to tackle drugs, and, under a new Scottish government initiative, this money will now be allocated to improving communities that have been undermined by serious and organised crime. . .” Scot. Exec. (long release with statistics and summary of prominent cases).
See also - weblog entry 19.11.03: New powers to sieze trafficker’s assets approved in draft
Posted by MM on Mon 24th Nov 2003 at 2:39 pm
“New laws to confiscate slave traders? assets: White Slave traders will be stripped of their ill-gotten gains under a crack down proposed by the Scottish Executive. Judges are to be given new powers to confiscate the assets of ?Mr Bigs? who profit from trafficking people for prostitution or the production of obscene or indecent material. . .” Courier
Press Release
“Moves to seize traffickers’ criminal assets: Anyone found to be trafficking people for prostitution or pornography in Scotland will get their ill-gotten gains stripped from them under new moves by the Executive to crack down on crime. . .” Scot. Exec.
See also:
The draft Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 Amendment (Scotland) Order 2003. Note by the Clerk to the Justice 1 Committee on draft Order for approval at today’s meeting. (13th Meeting 2003 (Session 2)).
Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2003
Posted by MM on Wed 19th Nov 2003 at 9:46 pm