Blackpool drugs criminal made £903,283, court rules

John Casey, 31, of Seventh Avenue, Blackpool, has been ordered by Judge Simon Medland QC to pay back his only assets, amounting to £1,050, to the authorities, and they can also revisit his finances in the future.

Casey was among several criminals were arrested and convicted after Operation Jennet, an investigation into the large scale supply of cocaine and cannabis and money laundering on the Fylde coast.

During the probe, approximately six kilos of cocaine and a ¼ of a kilo of amphetamine - said to be worth around £700,000 - and £122,000 in cash were seized.

Police said these seizures only represented a snapshot of the true scale of the drug dealing with which the defendants were involved during the conspiracy period, as the gang is believed to be responsible for bringing drugs totalling millions of pounds into the resort.

Preston Crown Court previously heard the organised crime group, headed by brothers Anthony and Bradley Gill, coordinated the supply of 'significant amounts' of class A and B drugs in the North West with accomplices.

Several of his co-defendants have already had similar financial confiscation orders made against them.Anyone convicted of a crime can be ordered to pay in a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing, in which a judge decides how much the person benefited by, and how much is available at present to seize in cash and assets.

A defendant might face further time in prison if they fail to pay.

If a defendant is found to have no assets, the court may make a nominal order of £1 - but the authorities can still revisit a person's finances in future.