Operation Lazer Update – two more orders made
Following the confiscation order in the sum of £923,757 made against Mark Longhurst (aka Cadogan) in April 2008, his co-defendants have also had the proceeds of their crimes stripped away from them.
On 23 May 2008 at Newcastle Crown Court, Timothy Lister aged 33 of Holly Hill Gardens, South Stanley, County Durham had a confiscation order in the sum of £20,000 made against him. The court had also determined that this was his benefit for the part he played in the conspiracy to supply cannabis.
On 27 November 2008, Melanie McElderry (aka Maine) who is Mark Longhurst’s partner had her criminal benefit declared by Newcastle Crown Court as £170,856.95 and a confiscation order in the sum of £32,155.44 was made.
Longhurst and his six co-conspirators were caught after an 18 month investigation headed by Northumbria Police which linked these people to national and international drug supply networks.
Longhurst used the proceeds of crime to fund a lavish lifestyle which included 26 exotic holidays in a period of 19 months, the purchase of a BMW and convertible Aston Martin as well as several homes located in the UK and abroad.
The BBC News website reports Detective Inspector John Cox of Northumbria Police as saying “ The investigation has not only smashed a national drugs ring, but has sent a clear message to those who deal in drugs that the police will leave no stone unturned to catch them. Longhurst was operating at the very highest level and his involvement in the wholesale distribution of cannabis was making him a lucrative living”
DCI Steve Waite of the NE Regional Asset Recovery Team: endorsed the Northumbrian comments and said “The results achieved by the various teams working in partnership during the course of Operation Laser highlight the advantages of enlisting the services of the NE RART and working together with a common goal to ensure that those who have clearly benefitted from their criminal conduct have it stripped away from them”