UPDATE: |Convicted drug dealer ordered to hand over £425,000 of dirty cash News

Gary Boone’s crimes were uncovered after being stopped on the M6

A convicted drug dealer who was caught with class A drugs on the M6 has been ordered to hand over more than £425,000 of dirty cash.

Gary Boone was stopped on the M6 southbound near Knutsford and found with £50,000 worth of cocaine.

During their investigation, police uncovered the 62-year-old’s funds, having made hundreds of thousands of pounds in ill-gotten gains.

Boone, who is serving a four-year prison sentence, has now been ordered to pay a huge sum of money back to the state – which will now be spent on frontline policing.

Boone was jailed at Chester Crown Court back on September 21, 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, Merseyside Police believed a car being driven by Boone may have been transporting drugs.

Boone’s grey Mazda CX-5 was later spotted by officers from Cheshire’s roads and crime unit on the M6 motorway, travelling southbound near Knutsford.

After searching the car, police found a sack and sandwich bag, both containing quantities of white powder, and a small cellophane wrap containing cannabis. Officers also seized a quantity of cash and a mobile phone.

Boone was arrested and the substances were examined by forensic officers. They were 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.

Following his conviction, accredited financial investigators from Cheshire Police’s economic crime unit launched a confiscation investigation under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

They uncovered that Boone had more than £150,000.00 that was being kept outside of the UK in an overseas bank account in Bangkok. When added to the cash seized by police and Boone’s other property, his total assets amounted to £179,490.00.

In total, their investigation determined that Boone, of West Street, Bridgwater, Somerset, had received well over £380,000 into his bank account through the dealing of class A and B drugs.

A confiscation hearing took place at Chester Crown Court on Monday (April 7), 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 been paid off.

Financial Investigator Kirsten Jones, who led the confiscation investigation, said: “Gary Boone, who is still serving a four-year sentence as a consequence of his actions, will have the cloud of this £425,000-plus payment hanging over his head for the rest of his days, or until he has been able to pay the full amount off.

“The confiscation order we have been able to secure against Boone today is the work of an extensive investigation from our financial investigators that sends a clear message that the constabulary’s economic crime unit takes the recovery of the proceeds of criminals’ ill-gotten gains very seriously to ensure dealers like him do not benefit from their illegal activities.”

Detective Sergeant Keeley Powles, of the economic crime unit, added: “The fantastic investigation by FI Jones means that the £179,490.00 worth of assets found within the offshore bank account is now available and will be paid immediately.

“This is a huge amount and it’s rare in cases to find such high value assets that we are able to strip away from the criminals.

“We will continue to use the Proceeds of Crime Act’s asset recovery powers to work tirelessly to hit those who engage in the supply of drugs and over criminality and strip them of the wealth they have derived from their illicit activities.”