DRUG DEALER ORDERED TO PAY BACK MORE THAN £40,000 FOR CRIMINAL LIFESTYLE

NEWS UPDATE

A drug dealer has been ordered to pay back more than £40,000 he made from his criminal lifestyle.

Ricardo Morgan, aged 28, of Ynysawdre, Bridgend, was jailed in July for four and a half years after pleading guilty to possession with intent to supply a controlled drug of class A – cocaine.

Following his conviction, Bridgend police officers began proceedings under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) to recover any cash or assets gained as a result of his crimes.

At a POCA hearing held in Cardiff Crown Court last week, Morgan was ordered to pay back £40,010 within three months or face 12 months imprisonment.

During the investigation, officers found around 298 grams of cocaine estimated to have a street value of around £11,300 in a dry stone wall between the Brynmenyn and Llangeinor areas. They also recovered a bag containing £33,000 in cash from an address in Bryncethin.

Both the cash and drugs were traced back to Morgan who was arrested following an early-morning raid by Bridgend officers in June of this year.

During a raid of his home officers found a further £4,210 in cash.

Detective Inspector Dean Taylor said:

“We will relentlessly pursue offenders to ensure that the people who wish to blight our communities with harmful controlled drugs are brought before the courts.

“Our financial investigations team are committed to investigating the financial affairs of criminals to determine the extent of their profits. It is our aim to take the profit out of crime and target those individuals who live off the proceeds of their criminality.

“The public can really help us by passing on any information about people who may be making a living off their criminal lifestyle. Generally, these people are clearly seen to spend more than their apparent disposable income.

“We are determined to deal with drug issues in our area, and will take robust action against anyone who attempts to distribute illegal drugs. I would like to thank the community for the information provided and would urge anyone with any information about drug dealing in our communities to report it to us – call us on 101, or report it anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”