Crime pays as law seizes £30,000 a day from drug dealers and fraudsters

Cash confiscated: Law officers have recovered nearly £70m since the Proceeds of Crime Act was passed.© STV

More than £10.5m worth of proceeds of crime has been recovered in the past year, the Solicitor General has announced.

Lesley Thomson QC said prosecutors secured confiscation orders worth over £7m against convicted drug dealers, money launderers and fraudsters while the Civil Recovery Unit recovered more than £3.5m during the same period.

The recovery is roughly equivalent to £30,000 a day being confiscated from criminals.

The figures mean the total secured since the beginning of the Proceeds of Crime Act in 2003 is more than £69m.

The money has been put to the Scottish Consolidated Fund to be reinvested in Scottish communities via the CashBack for Communities programme.

Ms Thomson described the cash recovery as a "great achievement".

She said: "Just as important as the sum recovered is the disruption caused to individual criminals and serious and organised crime groups in Scotland.

"Depriving criminals of their money and assets can significantly disrupt their activities, prevent them from re-investing their profits, and make it difficult for them to carry out their criminal enterprises. When the money and assets go so does the status and power.

"There is no place in Scotland for those who want a lifestyle funded by crime. We will continue to work closely with law enforcement agencies to use Proceeds of Crime laws to make Scotland an increasingly hostile place for these criminals."

Lindsey Miller, head of the Serious and Organised Crime Division said the legislation was a "powerful tool" in the fight against crime in Scotland.

She said: "We target people who make money from all types of crime, from serious and organised criminals engaged in money laundering and drug dealing, to individuals committing tax and benefit fraud and immigration offences."

Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said: "I welcome this excellent work by police and prosecutors, seizing millions cracking down on gangsters and their ill-gotten gains.

"Criminals don't contribute to our communities, they live off them and serious organised crime has an impact on everyone in Scotland, harming communities and legitimate businesses through drugs, extortion and counterfeit goods.

"That is exactly why cash seized under the Proceeds of Crime Act should be used to benefit communities which have suffered from criminal acts.

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