ASSETS RECOVERY AGENCY BANKS £50,000 FROM ALLEGED DRUG DEALER

20 Apr 2006 12:15 PM

Jonathan Paul Ferry of Grantham, Lincolnshire dropped his challenge to the Agency's claim for a civil recovery order and has surrendered the £50,000 proceeds of the sale of a residential property in Grantham that represented the proceeds of his unlawful activity.

This case was referred to the Agency by Lincolnshire Police who believed that Mr Ferry had acquired assets as a result of drug dealing. The case did not proceed to trial as it was considered that there was insufficient evidence to disprove that Mr Ferry had acted under duress.

The Agency was originally granted a Freezing Order for this sum in March 2005. Mr Ferry negotiated with the Agency to bring the case to a conclusion without the need for a full hearing. £50,000 representing the proceeds of the sale of a residential property in Grantham has been banked by the Agency.

Jane Earl, Director of the Agency said "We are very pleased that this not insignificant sum has been surrendered and will now be used in the fight against crime. We will use our powers to the full to make sure that crime does not pay at any level of criminality."

Graeme Baker, a Detective Constable with Lincolnshire Police Economic Crime Unit said "This was the first case referred to the Asset Recovery Agency by Lincolnshire Police, and we are extremely pleased with the conclusion. We have had a very successful year in terms of confiscation orders obtained under the Proceeds of Crime Act, and this outcome in respect of Mr Ferry, again shows the people of Lincolnshire that crime does not pay, and that every avenue will be explored to ensure this remains the case".

Notes for Editors:

1. To protect the privacy of the new owners of the property sold by Mr Ferry we are not releasing any further details.

2. The Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 created the Assets Recovery Agency and provided completely new powers to allow ARA to seek civil recovery of the proceeds of unlawful activity by an action in the High Court. The Agency can also issue tax assessments where there are reasonable grounds to suspect that there is taxable income, gain or profit from criminal conduct.

3. The Agency is playing its part in the multi-agency approach to deliver the Government's Asset Recovery Strategy. Under the cross government initiative 'Payback', the tracing of and recovery of assets is seen as an important element in the delivery of justice, and sends out a strong deterrent message. The overall aims of the strategy are to make greater use of the investigations of criminal assets in the fight against crime; recover money that has been made from crime or which is intended for use in crime; prevent criminals and their associates from laundering the proceeds of criminal conduct, and detect and penalise such laundering where it occurs; to use the proceeds recovered for the benefit of the community.

Assets Recovery Agency, PO Box 39992
London EC4M 7XQ

T +44 (0)20 7029 5700
F +44 (0)20 7029 5706
E enquiries@ara.gsi.gov.uk www.assetsrecovery.gov.uk