The case is thought to be the first case of its kind in the
country.
According to Herfordshire police, the investigation began in
2002, when banks alerted the Constabulary to unusual transactions
involving the transfer of large sums of money.
The Constabulary joined forces with Sussex Police and the
NHTCU
when it became clear that the drug selling
operation extended nationally, and together the units arrested and
secured convictions of five individuals for involvement in drug
trafficking.
On Friday, Hove Crown Court sentenced Sean Jackson, 37, to
five years' imprisonment for involvement in the supply of cannabis
and two years for concealing the proceeds of drug
trafficking.
Mark Harris, 41, was sentenced to three-and-a-half years
imprisonment for involvement in the supply of cannabis and 12
months for concealing the proceeds of drug trafficking, while
Dominic Bolongaro, 32, was given 18 months imprisonment for the
same offences.
Lisa Wilkinson, 35, and David Harris, 40, were each given 200
hours community service for concealing the proceeds of drug
trafficking.
The Court also ruled on an application to recover assets under
the Proceeds of Crime Act – tough rules that allow Courts to
confiscate assets from criminals, unless the criminals can prove
that the assets were not derived from crime.
Jackson now has to repay £112,000 within six months. A hearing
on Mark Harris's assets has yet to take place.
"Jackson was making hundreds of pounds a day from selling
drugs to hundreds of people over password-protected web sites
including Budmonkey.com and Keepit2urself.com," said
PC
Matt Cornish from Hertfordshire Constabulary's
Tactical Team.
Sergeant Jason Collins from Hertfordshire's Tactical Team
added, "Jackson was well set-up with a stash of envelopes, address
labels and a heat sealing machine. He would dispatch the drugs and
visit cash points on a regular basis and make large withdrawals
from his personal bank accounts – we had an overwhelming amount of
evidence against him."
