A Hove drugs trafficker has been ordered to cough up almost £30,000 of his ill-gotten gains.
Stanley Simons, 55, of Titian Road is already serving 12 years for trafficking heroin and cocaine in Brighton and Hove.
When he was arrested, police seized his cash and money in his bank account totalling £29,360.09.
And on November 13, Hove Crown Court calculated Simons had made £80,488.09 from drugs, and so ordered all the money seized to be confiscated.
If Simons does not forfeit the money, he faces another 18 months in prison.
Detective Superintendent Andy Buchan of Sussex Police said; “This confiscation order results from hard work by some dedicated Sussex detectives over the past two years.
“When we believe organised criminals like Simons have benefited, particularly from pernicious dealing in heroin and cocaine, we won’t give up after sentencing.
“The road to get this order has been hard and legally complex, but we are determined to attack such people by all lawful means. The money confiscated can be ploughed back into the community through worthwhile projects support for further investigative work.”
Simons was the head of an organised crime group, which was broken following a long investigation codenamed Operation Westport.
In August 2006, he and another 12 members were arrested. In November 2007, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply controlled drugs and in June 2008 he was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
This latest criminal confiscation order brings the total of such orders obtained by Sussex Police since April this year alone to more than £1million, with a further £74,000 in cash being seized from suspected drugs traffickers and others.
Anyone with information about drug dealing in Brighton or hove should call police on 0845 60 70 999 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
