ACT Policing's hauls from criminal investigations includes motorbikes, jet skis and gym gear
Posted
Diamond-encrusted watches, high-end cars and motorbikes, jet skis, houses and piles of cash — it reads like a dream shopping list.
But all of these things have been seized in recent times as Canberra's police step up their efforts to hit criminals in their back pocket.
ACT Policing's Scott Moller said many of those targeted were unaware of the capacity of authorities to take their belongings.
"The general criminal that's offending usually expect some sort of prosecution," he said.
"But they don't expect to lose the wealth that they've gained over a number of years committing these criminal offences."
Whose stuff do they have?
Stanley Hou, who was convicted and sentenced to four years jail in 2016 after being caught manufacturing drugs, was later forced to forfeit three Canberra properties.
Meanwhile, Timothy McLeod and Steven Evans, who were two out of four people recently convicted over the $1 million Public Trustee fraud, are currently fighting to keep their property.
The items include interests in houses and a number of cars.
Even those who have not been convicted are in the firing line, like 26-year-old Brendan Leigh Baker, who was recently charged with drug trafficking and money laundering.
Police seized $1.5 million in assets belonging to him, including a house and cars, which are currently under restraint.
He is still defending the charges against him, so has not lost the assets completely.
So how much do they have?
The Director of Public Prosecutions Jon White estimated the ACT collected about $2 million last year from proceeds-of-crime forfeitures, and that there was about $25 million worth of assets under restraint.
He is stepping up the fight, employing three new lawyers with a background in civil litigation after a funding increase from the ACT Government.
That strengthens the ability of authorities to seize property even when a criminal prosecution fails.
Detective Superintendent Moller said police were determined to pursue the proceeds of crime.
"If it's assets that we can show have been derived from a criminal enterprise then we'll go after it," he said.
Detective Superintendent Moller is convinced confiscation of criminal assets works to prevent crime.
"It has a really great effect, in our prosecutions," he said.
"This limits the ability of the criminal network to keep committing crime. It removes their finances and limits their ability to finance further crime."
Topics: police, crime, canberra-2600, act, australia
