County lines dealer ordered to pay £94k following proceeds of crime hearing

A county lines drug dealer who was supplying drugs to users in Swindon has been ordered to pay almost £94,000 following a Proceeds of Crime hearing.

Reuben Rose, 25, of Windrush Road in London, was given an eight year jail sentence in December after pleading guilty to supplying heroin, crack cocaine and cannabis to vulnerable users. 

Today, he appeared at Swindon Crown Court where a confiscation order was made after it was established through a detailed investigation by our Dedicated Crime Team and Financial & Asset Investigation Team that he has benefited from a total of £93,864.91.

The court ordered that he must pay back this sum of money over his lifetime. It was determined that he must pay £2,625 within the next three months, or an additional one month will be added to his current prison sentence. 

PC Gareth Snoad, of the Dedicated Crime Team, said: “This is a great example of how police investigations can continue long after a criminal has been jailed. We know that drug dealers like Rose will have benefited from their criminality for weeks, months and sometimes years, before they are arrested and put before the courts. It is therefore only right that we continue to examine their lives and ensure that any ill-gotten gains are forfeited and any money made as a result of criminal activity is paid back.

“I hope this case acts as a deterrent to anyone tempted by the lifestyle of a drug dealer, which can often be portrayed to be glamorous through social media and music videos – we will seek to seize and retain any property and possessions obtained unlawfully through the powers afforded to us through the Proceeds of Crime Act. I also hope this reassures honest and hardworking members of our community that these criminals will not benefit in any way from exploiting vulnerable people and bringing drugs and violence to our county. This order will place restrictions on Rose’s lifestyle long after his prison sentence has been served.”