Cambridgeshire cocaine dealer ordered to pay back £45,000 of ill gotten gains

A convicted drug dealer from Huntingdon has been ordered to repay more than £45,000 of the money he had made selling cocaine.

Quasim Abbas, 37, of Bradshaw Close, was jailed for two-and-a-half years in February 2020 after Cambridgeshire Constabulary officers witnessed him dealing drugs from a parked car in Huntingdon.

An investigation by the force found that Abbas and an associate had been dealing cocaine and cannabis, with a subsequent search of his home address also finding a brown bag containing £4,000 in cash.

He was later found guilty of possession of a class A drugs with intent to supply, possession of class B drugs with intent to supply, and money laundering offences.

Following the conclusion of the initial police operation, financial investigators from the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU) began new enquiries to establish how much Abbas had earned through criminality.

Analysis of his bank accounts and assets found he had made tens of thousands of pounds through criminal means, using the money to fund a lavish lifestyle.

At a hearing at Cambridge Crown Court it was agreed that Abbas had earned £46,239.59 through drug dealing. He was ordered to repay the amount within three months or face a further two years in prison, after which he would still be required to pay back the full total.

Financial Investigation Manager Nancy Austin, from ERSOU’s Regional Organised Crime Unit, said: “It was clear that Abbas had made significant sums of money through drug dealing, and on the back of the initial police investigation we launched our own enquires which established a fuller picture of his financial benefit from selling cocaine and cannabis.

“Stripping criminals of the money they’ve made illegally is vitally important to ensuring that, in addition to any criminal sentences, they are completely deprived of their ill-gotten gains.

“This result should act as a strong deterrent to those continuing to profit from selling harmful substances in our cities and towns, and we’ll continue to target those looking to profit from drug dealing.”