Two men already sentenced for their roles
in a Newhaven drugs dealing conspiracy are now also to be stripped of
some of their illegal profits.
And they may be stripped of yet more criminally acquired profits as and when police find them.
Luca Wright (right in picture), 27, of Cricketfield Road, Seaford, and
Christopher Charles Bywaters (left in picture), 31, of The Nurseries,
Lewes, appeared at Hove Crown Court on 21 May and were given
confiscation orders under the Proceeds of Crime Act, following an
investigation by expert police financial investigators.
Wright was found to have benefited by £154,208.43 and his currently
available amount of £8,940 was ordered to be confiscated, to be paid
within three months or he will serve a further sentence of five months,
and will still have to pay.
Bywaters was found to have benefited from his crime by £52,603.97 and
his currently available amount of £749.92 was ordered to confiscated, to
be paid within 28 days or he will serve a further sentence of seven
days, and will still have to pay.
The pair had been sentenced following a lengthy and detailed police
investigation – Operation Anglia – into drugs offences in the Newhaven
area.
Wright and Bywaters had been sentenced in November 2018 having pleaded guilty.
Wright was given 20 months for producing the class B drug cannabis at a
property in South Way, Newhaven, and jailed for a further 20 months for
possession of the drug with intent to supply – a total of three years
and four months’ imprisonment.
Bywaters was jailed for 17 months for the production of cannabis and a
further six months for breaching a previous two-year prison sentence – a
total of 23 months imprisonment.
A sophisticated commercial-scale cannabis grow was found in South Way,
Newhaven, and almost half a kilo of cannabis was found at Wright’s
former home in Rosemary Close, Peacehaven.
Detective Chief Inspector Andy Richardson of the Sussex Police Economic
Crime Unit said: “The court found that both men had benefited by amounts
greater than those they are currently required to repay. However we
keep records of all existing confiscation orders where the full benefit
amount isn’t immediately available and regularly check on them to
identify any additional assets which have been obtained since the
original order was made.
“We then apply to the court for an increase in the original order. We
can also request the assistance of the specialist South East Regional
Asset Confiscation Enforcement (ACE) team, part of the South East
Regional Organised Crime Unit (SEROCU), who will contact the offenders
and help identify more assets.
“Meanwhile, even orders such as those just granted still send the
important message that we will always go after criminal assets even
beyond conviction, to try to return them lawful and useful purposes.
“Funds seized by the courts through POCA confiscation or cash forfeiture
orders go to the central Government exchequer. However a proportion of
this is returned to law enforcement. Similar amounts go the CPS and the
court system.
“POCA-derived funding that returns to this force is distributed equally
between the Police and Crime Commissioner and the Chief Constable.
Sussex Police receive 50% cash back from cash forfeitures and 18.75%
cash back from confiscation orders such as these.
“We fund Financial Investigators and Financial Intelligence Officers
from part of these amounts to help continue our valuable work in seizing
criminal assets, with the remainder being used to support local
community crime reduction and diversion projects.”
If you have information drug dealing in your community contact the police online or by calling 101.