A convicted drug trafficker has been ordered to sell his house and give the proceeds to the National Crime Agency or face an extension to his prison term.
Khandhakar Thaj Uddin (pictured), 42, from Ilford, east London, was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2009 for heroin and cannabis importation over five years between 2003 and 2008.
In 2010 a court ruled that the financial benefit from his criminality was £739,000. Sales of Uddin’s assets raised more than £306,000, which was confiscated under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
At that time Uddin claimed a property in Manor Park was owned and occupied by his father, but in later family court proceedings Uddin was declared the sole owner after his father relinquished his claim.
As a result the NCA and CPS applied to increase the confiscation order, and on 25 July 2016 a judge at Winchester Crown Court gave Uddin three months to sell the house and hand over £220,000 – the amount of equity estimated to be in the property after the mortgage is cleared.
If he fails to do so he will be sentenced to a further five years in prison and will still owe the money at the end of it.
Phil Aiken, from the NCA’s Economic Crime Command, said:
“The NCA’s work doesn’t stop when a criminal is put behind bars. We are determined to use the full force of legislation at our disposal and prevent criminals benefiting financially from their crimes.”
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