A drug lord jailed for supplying high-purity cocaine has been ordered to pay back more than £313,000 in “ill-gotten gains”.
Jahangir Bararjani, of East Rainton, appeared at Newcastle Crown Court in April last year where a judge sentenced him to six years imprisonment. A financial investigation into his empire was also launched.
Vic Laffey, defending, said Bararjani was not enjoying a lavish lifestyle and was living in a council house. He added: "He was foolish and took a chance. He succumbed to temptation."
Read more: South Shields man Callum Allan one of UK's seven most wanted fugitives
A court heard that Northumbria Police searched Barajani’s address and found a shoe box which contained less than a kilo of cocaine, believed to have a street value of up to £22,000, as well as scales, bags and other paraphernalia.
He was arrested after police suspected her was involved in drug dealing, with police seizing a number of items - along with a Range Rover worth £48,500.
When the 38-year-old was later convicted, financial detectives compiled a detailed investigation which revealed he had earned more than £290,000 from illegal activity.
A confiscation order was issued in January of this year, confirming the total benefit from his criminal conduct to be £313,832. The judge also ordered the immediate sale of Bararjani’s only remaining asset - the seized Range Rover.
The order will remain in place until the debt is paid in full, meaning any future earnings or assets will be taken by the courts.
Detective chief inspector Chris Riley, who runs the force’s financial Investigation unit, said: "A huge part of dismantling organised crime groups is to take away their precious assets, which is what our financial investigators do so well.
“Thanks to the hard work carried out by our colleagues from CID, who uncovered evidence of Bararjani’s drug dealing, including a number of high value seizures, he was subsequently jailed.
“Our skilled investigators were then able to comb though his financial records, telecoms data and a whole host of other evidence – which they were then able to present before the courts showing that Bararjani has made a considerable amount of money from his illegal and shameful dealings.
“It is only right that we continue to go after criminals and strip them of every penny a life of crime has afforded them – it is not right that those who break the law are able to live in big houses or drive luxury cars purchased with ill-gotten gains.
“As part of Operation Sentinel, we will continue to pursue offenders after they’ve been convicted to make sure they are stripped of any assets their criminal antics have enabled them to acquire, under the Proceeds of Crime Act.”
Read next:
- South Tyneside businessman threatened and ordered to sack staff in blackmail plot
- High risk child sex offender sent back to prison for offences in Newcastle days after being released
- Wallsend former physio's child abuse images stash included baby being abused
- Killingworth pervert's secretly shot footage of children and woman found by horrified ex
- Halloween horror: Cowardly brute strangled partner and stamped on her in terrifying Blyth attack
