A 62-year-old man who was caught with thousands of pounds worth of class A drugs by officers conducting a stop check on the M6 southbound, has been ordered to hand over £425,000 worth of illegally sourced funds
Gary Boone was sentenced to four years imprisonment at Chester Crown Court on 21 September 2023 after pleading guilty to possession with intent to supply class A drugs (cocaine) and possession of class B drugs (cannabis).
It was heard that in July 2023, police colleagues from Merseyside Police reported that they believed a car being driven by Boone may be transporting a quantity of drugs.
Later, Boone’s Grey Mazda CX-5 was spotted by officers from Cheshire’s Roads and Crime Unit on the M6 motorway, travelling southbound near Knutsford.
The Mazda was stopped on the motorway and officers conducted a search of the vehicle, finding a sack and sandwich bag, both containing quantities of white powder, and a small cellophane wrap containing cannabis. A mobile phone and a quantity of cash were also seized by officers, with Boone being subsequently arrested.
The substances seized during the search were later examined by forensic officers and confirmed to be 500g of cocaine, with an estimated street value of up to £50,000. The substance found in the sandwich bag was also confirmed as cocaine, with an estimated street value of up to £1,350.
But that was not the end of the story as, following Boone’s conviction, Accredited Financial Investigators (AFI’s) from the Constabulary’s Economic Crime Unit launched a confiscation investigation under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.
As part of their enquires, officers uncovered that Boone had over £150,000.00 that was being kept outside of the UK in an overseas bank account in Bangkok. Along with the cash seized and other property, his total assets amounted to £179,490.00.
In total, their investigation ascertained that Gary Boone had received well over £380,000.00 into his bank account through the dealing of class A and B drugs.
On Mondaythe confiscation hearing took place at Chester Crown Court, where officers were successful in obtaining an order for £425,169.10, an estimated value of Boone’s crimes, that will stay with him for life or until it has all paid off.
