More than £11,000 has been seized from a Dundee man after a sheriff ruled that the money was obtained through drug dealing.
Sheriff Derek Pyle granted a Proceeds of Crime application by the Crown Office against Robert Paul Dick (38), of Kirkton, Dundee, who had hidden the money below his floorboards.
Dick was not convicted of any offences in connection with the police raid at his home in November 2009 and no controlled drugs were found.
The judgment published on Thursday explained £11,448.80 was found hidden underneath the floorboards, accessible by a secret hatch. The Civil Recovery Unit, acting on behalf of Scottish ministers, alleged Dick to have been a drug dealer.
After hearing evidence over four days, Sheriff Pyle was satisfied these allegations had been proved, not just to the civil standard of “a balance of probabilities” but “beyond reasonable doubt”.
He added that the evidence led by the Civil Recovery Unit was “utterly compelling”.
The head of the Civil Recovery Unit, Ruaraidh Macniven, said, “In this case a sum of cash has been forfeited for the public benefit instead of being available for those who peddle misery in our communities.
“Thanks to excellent police work on the part of Tayside Police, the sheriff had no hesitation in concluding that this cash was derived from crime.
“The Civil Recovery Unit will continue to use civil proceedings to disrupt crime and to make Scotland a hostile place for those who seek to benefit from unlawful activity.”
Detective Superintendent Willie Semple of Tayside Police’s headquarters crime division said the case exemplified the close working relationship the force enjoys with the Civil Recovery Unit and serves as a warning to criminals that they can be pursued not just though the criminal courts but also via the civil courts to be held to account.
“Tayside Police has an unrelenting focus on serious and organised criminal gangs and, working with other police forces and our partners in law enforcement, we will take every opportunity to exercise the powers given to us under the Proceeds of Crime Act,” he added.
“It is an extremely valuable tool, which truly holds the criminal to account, seizing money and property from them that would otherwise allow them to fund or prosper from a life of crime.”
Money recovered under the Proceeds of Crime Act is invested by ministers in community projects aimed at alleviating the effects of crime.
To date, over £41 million has been invested in a range of free activities for young people through the CashBack programme.