Officers have secured court orders to recover funds from three defendants who were convicted for their role in supplying class A drugs in Dorset.
Jose Ivo Ferreira, aged 31 and of no fixed of abode, Dean Wesley Lovell, aged 31 and formerly of Cull Close Poole, and Fleur Marie Newman, aged 29 and formerly of Ripon Road, Bournemouth, were sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court on Friday 16 October 2020 following an extensive operation by Dorset Police into a drug supply network operating in Dorset.
Ferreira had pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to supply class A and class B drugs on Thursday 19 December 2019 and Lovell and Newman entered guilty pleas to offences of being concerned in the supply of class A and class B drugs on Monday 24 August 2020.
Ferreira was sentenced to 12 years in prison, Lovell received a nine-and-a-half-year jail term and Newman received a sentence of seven years.
The three defendants were arrested following an extensive operation led by officers from Dorset Police’s Serious Organised Crime Investigation Team (SOCIT) between May and November 2019 into the supply of heroin, cocaine, ketamine, MDMA and cannabis in the Poole and Bournemouth areas.
Following the sentencing hearing, proceedings were commenced by Dorset Police’s Economic Crime Unit using Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) legislation.
At a hearing at Bournemouth Crown Court on Tuesday 20 April 2021 the total benefit figure for Lovell’s offending was found to be £971,935.92. The court ruled that the available amount was £12,780, which came from cash that was seized during his arrest.
At the same hearing, Newman was found to have benefitted by £45,000. However, she had no available assets to recover.
At a further hearing on Thursday 16 December 2021 Ferreira’s benefit figure was set at £2,820,444.40 with the available amount of £300,000. He was given three months to pay the available amount or he will face an additional sentence of 20 months in prison.
Detective Constable Scott Brimicombe, of the Economic Crime Unit, said: “As with all Proceeds of Crime confiscation orders, the outstanding benefit figures will not simply go away. These defendants will be subject to reviews in the future and will still be liable to pay the remaining sums if they are judged to have acquired further assets.
“We are committed to using legislation available to us under POCA legislation to ensure that wherever possible funds obtained by offenders through their criminal activities are seized and recovered.
“We will also respond to any information from the public relating to further funds the defendants may have available.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact Dorset Police at www.dorset.police.uk, via email [email protected] or by calling 101, quoting occurrence number 55190182117. Alternatively, to stay 100 per cent anonymous, contact the independent charity Crimestoppers online at Crimestoppers-uk.org or call freephone 0800 555 111.
