Drug dealer ordered to hand back profits (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Drug dealer ordered to hand back profits

4:01pm Thursday 22nd March 2007 in Swindon By Gazette Reporter

A drug dealer who made more than £100,000 from his illicit trade has been ordered to hand back most of his profits or face a further two-year jail term.

Martin Johnson has been given six months to pay £66,750 or face the extra time in custody - and still have to pay the cash.

Although the amount he made from the trade is significantly higher than what he has to repay, the court can only order him to hand over what he has.

The 26-year-old is being forced to sell his £195,000 house on Grosvenor Road, Kingshill, to release the £59,000 equity he has in it, although three per cent is deducted for the cost of the sale.

A number of cars which he owns have also been valued and their worth, thought to be about £13,000, is added along with the £600 he had on him when he was arrested in November last year.

However, despite there being a restraining order in place, a £4,000 Peugeot 307 has been sold but the prosecution decided not to make an issue of it.

At a confiscation hearing at Swindon Crown Court Recorder Ignatius Hughes ruled the benefit to Johnson from criminal conduct was £109,555.28p and the realisable assets were £66,750.

He ordered the second sum to be confiscated, giving him six months to pay the money, and set a sentence of two years in lieu of not paying in time.

Johnson was jailed for eight years in February this year after admitting possessing heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine with intent to supply.

At the time the police described him as a "significant dealer" in the Swindon drug scene, supplying street dealers with their stock.

He was stopped in his Volkswagen Golf and found to be in possession of heroin and crack cocaine in detergent and cereal boxes.

When his home was searched more of the class A drugs were found stashed in innocent-looking soft drinks cans.

In total he was found to have a kilogram of heroin, half a kilogram of crack cocaine and about 80 grams of cocaine - together worth about £70,000 in street deals.

Robin Shellard, prosecuting, said: "It is a case where Mr Johnson was found to be much higher up the supply tree than many others, as he was supplying to street dealers."

As well as the confiscation order the judge also ordered the drugs, which were destined for the streets of Swindon, be destroyed.

After last month's sentencing hearing Det Sgt Pete Ritson, of Swindon CID, said: "It is without doubt that these drugs were destined for sale on the streets of Swindon and the surrounding area.

"This quantity of drugs would cause untold suffering, not only to those who use and crave the drugs for their own use, but also to the innocent members of the public who would potentially have been victims of crime that the users of these drugs would have carried out to fund their addiction."

And colleague Det Sgt Mark Smith said: "We are very pleased with the result. It was a significant seizure and we are pleased he has got a sentence which is commensurate with the offence. He was a significant dealer."