Hampshire Constabulary has successfully hauled back nearly £1 million of drug profits following the conviction of cannabis manufacturer Duc Thuyen Nguyen.
The confiscation order relates to Nguyen, 36, of Wandsworth, London, who was convicted of conspiring to produce a drug of class B in September 2010.
Nguyen was sentenced to 45 months in custody following his conviction which was the result of an investigation into cannabis factories in Basingstoke and London.
Hampshire Constabulary’s Financial Investigation Unit worked to establish the total sum of benefit Nguyen gained from his criminal activity and in a hearing on Friday, August 26 at Winchester Crown Court HHJ Dixon approved the order for the confiscation of £991,305.70 from the defendant.
The benefit figure of £991,305.70 is the total sum from:
- £346,782.70 worth of cannabis from three factories
- £269,890 worth of bank transfers to the defendant
- £106,633 cash recovered on the search of the defendants address
- £8,000 value of vehicle £260,000 value of property
Nguyen was unable to produce any evidence of legitimate earnings or details of business and so through the use of the POCA legislation it was assumed that this benefit has been acquired illegally. Nguyen was ordered to immediately pay £158,133.00 which was the sum of assets he has currently available. The outstanding £838,172.70 remains a debt to the defendant for life until it is paid in full, therefore any assets in the future can also be confiscated to meet the debt.
Head of Hampshire Constabulary’s Economic Crime Group, Detective Inspector Dave Brown said, “This shows the commitment that Hampshire Constabulary and the Crown Prosecution Service has in taking a strong stand against those that choose to live a life of crime. We will continue to work together to ensure that crime is not seen as a profitable way of life.”
Last year the Financial Investigation Unit secured just under £2 million from criminals across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Since April 2011 the unit has already successfully confiscated nearly £500,000.
