Drug Trafficking gang forced to payback their ill gotten gains
The Wales Regional Asset Recovery Team in partnership with Dyfed Powys Police has taken two West Wales men back to court to payback the proceeds of their criminal activities.
Wolfgang Necke, Arthur Waring and Colin Jenkins were at the centre of a conspiracy to supply cannabis on a massive scale in the Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion areas. The men, who were convicted in March 2005 at Swansea Crown court for offences including conspiracy to supply Cannabis resin, were all brought back before the court under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 which is legislation designed to take the profit out of crime.
In 2004, Dyfed Powys Police conducted a lengthy surveillance operation, during which it had become apparent that the gang were supplying cannabis on a large scale. Officers stopped two men and recovered 15 kilos of cannabis resin after watching them visit the home address of Wolfgang Necke in Cross Hands. Further house searches revealed significant additional quantities of drugs and cash.
A financial investigation conducted by the Wales RART identified that Wolfgang Necke had utilised his son’s savings account and laundered at least £30,000 through it in order to conceal the profits of his drug dealing. The investigation also uncovered massive amounts of unexplained income and expenditure which the Court agreed had all come from the proceeds of his drug trafficking.
At the financial hearing over the last two days, the court heard how Necke tried to justify his money by alleging that he had bought and sold cars, even though he had not declared this to the tax authorities or produced any meaningful evidence to support their claim. He also claimed that he had borrowed money from people who never came forward to confirm his story.
Wolfgang Necke of Carmarthen Road, Cross Hands was ordered to pay back £222,500 and was given 6 months to pay. If he fails to pay within the period, he will serve a further 3 years imprisonment. At the hearing, Necke signed over the contents of all his bank accounts (over £60,000) towards the order and may well have to sell his house in order to pay the rest. This means that he will have to start again and will not be able to enjoy the fruits of his criminal activities.
Colin Jenkins of Brown Avenue, Llanelli also received a confiscation order where the court agreed that his benefit from his part in the drug dealing activities as being £7,620.
Arthur Philip Waring, of The Ridgeway, Cardigan, subsequently received a confiscation order where it was identified that he had benefited from his criminal activities and he was ordered to payback £20,000 within 6 months. If he fails to pay the amount ordered within the specified time he will serve a default sentence of 12 months which will be in addition to the 18 months he was given for his part in the drug trafficking.
Speaking after the hearings, Alan Brown of the Wales Regional Asset Recovery Team said:
"This is an excellent result for Dyfed Powys Police and the Wales RART and reinforces the message that we will, by utilising the Proceeds of Crime legislation, seek to remove the financial incentive of engaging in drug trafficking and other crimes. We will continue to target those groups and individuals who seek to profit from their criminality and who have an adverse effect on our communities.
In addition to depriving these particular criminals of their ill gotten gains the Confiscation orders made by the Court in this case means that additional funds will become available to be recycled into further crime reduction initiatives."