A tout and a dog breeder were two of a number of criminals who had more than £200k taken away from them by Merseyside Police.
On Tuesday, November 14, the force had a number of Proceeds of Crime Act hearings at Liverpool Magistrates Court. A total of £227,631 of criminal assets was secured by Merseyside Police
Among the cases heard was a money laundering investigation where police were granted an account freezing order on two businesses operating as a private limited company. The investigation identified the company was money laundering for criminals and moved significant amounts of funds made through ticket touting in Merseyside.
READ MORE: EXCLUSIVE: Dean Kelly who covered up Rhys Jones' murder found dead
READ MORE: Woman had no idea her boyfriend was dangerous until it was too late
A total of £127,689.54 was secured by the force. Another huge sum of £30,455 was forfeited after the court heard the accused acquired the cash from being a dog breeder and had paid tax on the profit.
The investigation disproved their claim and found the cash was obtained through the proceeds of criminal activities. £38,890 was also forfeited in court from a drugs investigation where the sum was found by police during a search inside two addresses in Walton.
The accused stated the cash was savings from benefits but further potential offences of benefit fraud were uncovered during the investigation. When this was put to the accused, the forfeiture was not contested and the funds were secured by Merseyside Police.
Detective Chief Inspector Mike Dalton said: “This was an exceptional outcome for our Financial Investigators who, through meticulous investigations, have secured a huge amount of cash that could have been used to fund organised crime in Merseyside and the devastating affect they have on the Community. I would like to thank the Investigators involved for their work in the securing of such significant assets at court.
“I hope the results shows how relentless we are in our work to remove the ill-gotten gains of criminals, hitting them were it hurts. The proceeds of crime recovered at Court will be of great benefit when invested back into Community initiatives to help prevent crime and protect the most vulnerable.”
If you have any information about money laundering or cash being stored in your community contact police @MerPolCC, or call 101. Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via their online form at: Give information anonymously | Crimestoppers (crimestoppers-uk.org).
Get a free National Trust pass worth up to £50 for your family day out this autumn
Don't miss the biggest and breaking stories by signing up to the Echo Daily newsletter here
