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UK: Scotland - Drug baron campaign branded a failure Neil Rafferty Sunday Times Sunday 23 Nov 2003 A FLAGSHIP government scheme to confiscate the assets of Scotland's biggest drug barons has netted just £1.5m in its first year, writes Neil Rafferty. The Sunday Times has also learnt that up to a fifth of the money raised through the Proceeds of Crime Act is being spent on community projects south of the border. Opposition parties have branded the legislation, designed to snare the most important players in an illegal drugs industry worth an estimated £2 billion in Scotland, a failure. After the legislation was passed at Westminster last year Jack McConnell, the first minister, said it was 'a shot across the bows of the drug barons'. 'Drug traffickers do not deal in drugs to destroy individuals, families and communities. They do it for pure profit. That's why we have to go after their cash,' he said. However, figures released by the Scottish executive reveal that in its first 12 months of operation the Criminal Confiscation Unit has seized just £1.2m while the Civil Recovery Unit has collected about £345,000. The biggest confiscation order was for £197,000, served against Michael Webster, a cannabis and ecstasy dealer jailed for four years last July. Margaret 'Big Mags' Haney,the notorious grandmother convicted of dealing heroin in the Raploch estate in Stirling was forced to hand over £3,400 after being jailed for 12 years. Executive insiders admit that the legislation has proved effective only in confiscating money from low-level dealers while bigger traffickers remain untouchable. 'We have to ask why only £1.5m has been seized when this act was meant to target the profits of the major players in the drug industry,' said the SNPs justice spokeswoman Nicola Sturgeon. 'This haul pales into insignificance compared with the enormous profits drug dealers make, yet the executive seems to be almost proud of their efforts. They clearly need to raise their ambitions, raise their game and target the real money makers of the drug trade. Annabel Goldie, the Scottish Tory justice spokeswoman, said the figures were 'disappointing. While any arresting of their proceeds is to be welcomed, it seems clear that the money involved is only the tip of the iceberg', she said. 'The government must urgently review its approach so that it is tough enough to deal with this affront to our society. The Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 strengthened the powers of the police and courts to investigate money laundering as well as giving them the power to freeze the bank accounts of suspected criminals. Half the money will be spent in Scotland helping communities affected by drugs, while the rest will be sent to a Home Office fund in London which will divide the resources between UK anti-drug agencies and community-based projects south of the border. An executive spokesman said negotiations had begun with the Treasury to keep a greater proportion of the money in Scotland but the SNP has tabled a parliamentary motion calling for all of the money to be spent in Scottish communities. --=======135AA0B=======--
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