The Wales Regional Asset Recovery Team, has taken three members of an Organised Crime Group back to court to payback the cash they have made out of crime. The three men, two from Cardiff and one from Liverpool, formed the basis of a significant cocaine distribution and dealing ring located in the two cities.

The court declared Gary Summerhayes from Cardiff had benefited from his criminal activities to a total of £89,752, and has been ordered to payback £24,503 within 3 months. Failing to pay within this period will result in a default sentence of 18 months, on top of his serving sentence of 8 years.

The courts have declared Derek James from Liverpool, benefited from a criminal figure of £168,000, and has been ordered to payback £73,577 within 28 days. Failing to pay the sum within the set time will result in a further sentence of 2 years.

The two men were part of operation Libya, carried out by the Regional Task Force (operational arm of Tarian+). Three people were convicted as part of this operation in September 2004 for the conspiracy to supply class A drugs:

Derek John James received a sentence of 6 years

Gary Summerhayes received a sentence of 8 years

Alan Jones received a sentence of 6 years.

Gary Vincent Summerhayes, from Cardiff, was the principal subject of operation Libya and conducted his activities from the city. He was arranging the purchase of cocaine from a supplier in Liverpool, Derek John James, from Huyton, Liverpool. Summerhayes would instruct his courier, Alan Gareth Jones, from Cardiff, to travel to Liverpool where he would meet with James and purchase the drugs. He would then return to Cardiff where Summerhayes would prepare the cocaine for onward distribution. This would involve the preparation of ‘deals’ packed in a specially converted engineering press.

In March 2004 police officers from the then recently formed Regional Task Force followed Jones to Liverpool and observed him meeting with James. Following this meeting both were arrested and Jones was found to be in possession of ½ kilo of high purity cocaine. In subsequent raids in Cardiff, Summerhayes was arrested as he waited for the delivery of the cocaine. At his address he had his cocaine press ready for the production of individual deals.

The defendants may be unable to pay the benefit of crime figure straight away, however the criminal benefit established by the court remains until such time as it is settled in full and the court has the power to amend the amount of a confiscation order where a defendant is found to have acquired further assets. This means that if they win the lottery, come into an inheritance, move house or even change their car, the Regional Asset Recovery Team will be watching and will go back to court until such time as the order has been satisfied.

Another individual as part of this operation has previously been taken to court to payback the cash made out of crime. The courts declared that Alan Jones from Cardiff benefit from crime amounted to £30,000.

"This is a classic example of joined up working. The enforcement branch of Tarian has dismantled an organised crime group and the RART has now removed the lifeblood of the group – it’s money. The message is simple – crime doesn’t pay and if you commit crime we will come after you"