Blackburn drugs baron told to pay back just £160

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1:00pm Tuesday 14th January 2014





A DRUGS baron who was part of a gang that peddled more than £1.5m of heroin and cocaine across the UK has been made to pay back just £160.

A Proceeds Of Crime Act hearing heard that Babar Qasam, who was jailed for 11 years last year after being found guilty of conspiracy to supply heroin, had raked in £63,160 from supplying drugs.

But the 35-year-old, of Chestnut Walk, Blackburn, only had £160 of assets that officers could seize.

Police said the rest of the cash could be reclaimed from Qasam if it was found he could repay it at a later date.

A spokeswoman for Lancashire Police said: “Where possible Lancashire Police will track down illegal assets and we deprive criminals of cash and possessions.

“In most cases the main motivation of criminals is financial gain and therefore this is an area in which we can hit the criminal hardest.

“I would also reassure people that if in the future, after paying the amount, individuals appear to have further wealth that police believe has been the result of crime, they can be brought before the courts again to assess any other available assets that can be offset against the overall benefits they have accrued from their crimes.”

Qasam led the ‘sophisticated’ operation, in which 45kgs of cocaine, £200,000 in cash, plus heroin and cannabis were confiscated by Lancashire police’s Serious and Organised Crime unit with Suhail Vohra, 33, of Charnwood Close Blackburn.

Vohra’s POCA hearing will take place at Preston Crown Court on March 20.

Tamoor Ahmed, 37, from Slough, Neil Scarborough, 33, Tanveer Fazal, 32, Asrer Khan, 29, all from Preston, and Christopher Farley, 31, from Liverpool have also been made to pay back more than £185,000 between them for benefits they received from being part of the gang.

http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk...___160/?ref=mr

[harrybarracuda]

45kgs of cocaine, £200,000 in cash, plus heroin and cannabis were confiscated by Lancashire police’s Serious and Organised Crime unit

Well surely they can just make it up by selling the drugs. If they need advice, a fact finding mission to discuss the subject with their Thai colleagues should point them in the right direction.

The 200k should cover first class flights and a nice suite plus entertainment, and they'll still end up quids in.

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“In most cases the main motivation of criminals is financial gain "

I didn't know that crims had any other motive.

[ChiangMai noon]

raked in £63,160 from supplying drugs.

that all?

should have cut it better

[ENT]

I wonder if we'll find out how much the rest of the gang made.