A heroin dealer who was jailed for more than six years has appeared back in court as £10,000 of his criminal cash is seized.
Neil Coates was jailed last October for his role in supplying heroin after he was caught with Class A drugs valued at £28,000 alongside an accomplice.
He was initially arrested in the Midlands after officers found him asleep in his car while in possession of a knife and a baton and heroin worth £10,000. The arrest triggered a search of his home address in Elswick where officers from Northumbria Police recovered another half a kilo of heroin.
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His house was revisited several days later after a report of a burglary in which officers recovered another quantity of Class A drugs. Coates, of Kingsley Terrace was arrested and charged and later appeared at Newcastle Crown Court.
Following a trial he was found guilty of possessing heroin with intent to supply but had previously admitted possession of the knife and baton. The 51-year-old was jailed for a total of six-and-a-half years but, last week he was back at the same court for a hearing under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
It was agreed that Coates had earned more than £37,700 from his drug dealing and when his assets were examined, he was found to have a total of £10,709 in cash which was seized. The remaining sum will be revisited in the future, with earnings or any lump sums he may receive taken into consideration.
Financial Investigator, Stuart Watts said: "While it is important that criminals who supply drugs and commit serious offences which impact our communities are sentenced appropriately, it is also equally important that any assets their offending has afforded them are seized.
"Our message is clear – crime does not pay and our criminal justice partners fully support this stance.
"Our work will continue under Operation Sentinel, ensuring that those involved in drug supply are identified and convicted, their assets seized and their illicit organisations dismantled. That’s the way we tackle this type of criminality – by stripping assets.
"Coates has lost £10,000 of ill-gotten gains and it is only right that money benefits the communities most affected by crime.
"As always the money seized will be invested into our ongoing fight against serious and organised crime – with a number of organisations and charities benefitting from it."
Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, Kim McGuinness, said: "This is a huge win all round for Northumbria Police and the communities served. Not only has a drug dealer been stopped in his tracks, but money from his dealing has been seized and can be reinvested back into good work supporting and preventing crime across the region.
"It's results like this that contribute to my Operation Payback fund and we're currently accepting applications from local grassroot causes so we can hand cash from crime back to the community. Money that's come from crime, harm and suffering can now be spent on improving lives rather than destroying them."
If you would like to report any suspicious behaviour, please visit the Northumbria Police website and use the ‘Tell Us Something’ page.
