7th Oct 2013
Abbey Solicitors have completed a contested Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) application at Manchester Crown Court. The application lasted two weeks and related to Operation Beath, a five-year investigation by the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) into a large drug network.
The Crown originally claimed a Benefit Figure of £5.5 million in respect of a defendant with assets of over £4 million. Now, after three years of protracted proceedings, the judgement has been handed down in which the Benefit Figure has been drastically reduced to only £340,000.