“We are coming not just for you, but your illegal profits too.”

Confiscation orders have been granted for more than £1m of illegal profits made by a group of jailed drug dealers.

Now on top of their jail time, they will be hit in the pocket with assets including cash, money in bank accounts, high value watches, designer bags and clothing being seized to help recover illegal funds made from their crimes.

The orders, sought under the under the Proceeds of Crime Act, affect five members of a gang who were jailed last January after pleading guilty to being concerned in the supply of crack cocaine and heroin. The group were running drugs from London into Surrey and Hampshire.

PC Ed Bush, who was part of the team involved in the case, said: “This is another really positive step, and I hope it sends a message to anyone involved in criminal enterprise that we are coming not just for you, but your illegal profits too.   

“I’m sure these offenders will enjoy knowing their drug money is going to be funnelled back into the fight against other people like them.”

Criminal funds confiscated under the Proceeds of Crime Act are distributed and repurposed through the ARIS scheme (Asset Recovery Incentivisation Scheme) which then goes on to fund further criminal and financial investigations, purchase law enforcement equipment to help tackle crime as well as being compensated back to victims, where they have suffered loss or been victims of crime.

The investigation into the gang was jointly led by officers from our Centurion team – a specialist unit for Surrey Police and Sussex Police - and Operation Orochi from the Metropolitan Police working closely to co-ordinate and share intelligence about County Lines coming into our communities.

‘County Lines’ are so called because they involve transporting illegal drugs from one area to another, often across police boundaries, using dedicated mobile phone lines or ‘deal lines’.  Often the areas these drugs are taken to see an increase in levels of violence or other associated crimes because of the problems drugs and drug addiction bring.  

The five offenders who will have assets confiscated are:

• Ross Bannister, 30 (DOB: 10/02/94) from Greenwich, who was sentenced to nine years and four months for being Concerned in the Supply of Class A drugs and a further 27 months for possession of criminal property to run concurrently.

• Billy Cross, 25 (DOB: 29/06/99) from Basildon, who was sentenced to nine years and four months for being Concerned in the supply of Class A Drugs and 15 months for possession of criminal property to run concurrently.

• Abraham Musoke, 29 (DOB: 08/10/95) from Bexley in London, who acted as a courier in the network, was given six years and nine months.

• Paul Skabarntsky 29 (DOB: 29/01/95) of no fixed address was sentenced to three years and one month.
• Jamie Smith, 31 (DOB: 23/12/93), from Greenwich, was sentenced to three years and one month.