Specialist team stripping criminals of cash forfeit over £1million since April

Our specialist team of economic crime investigators have helped to forfeit over a million pounds of cash recovered from a number of police operations across Greater Manchester over the past six weeks.

Yesterday (Tuesday 17 May) at Tameside Magistrates’ Court our Asset Detention and Recovery Unit successfully forfeited £331K meaning that the team has taken a total of over £1million in illicit cash since 1 April 2022.

It includes sums uncovered at warrants in Salford, Wigan, Manchester and Rochdale in recent weeks – such as a £116k stash found in bundles of cash which was recovered by officers from a concealed bag hidden in the wardrobe of an address in Little Hulton, following reports of a man wielding an axe in the street last month.

Yesterday’s outcome follows a record-breaking year for our Economic Crime Unit that saw almost £14million recovered between April 2021 to March 2022 – an increase of 26% on the year before.

Money forfeited from criminals and suspected offenders does return to GMP through the Asset Recovery Incentive Scheme (ARIS); last year £5.7million was re-invested for community programmes and charities across GM, as well as funding policing programmes and operations to continue fighting crime.

Detectives are keen to remind criminals concealing illicit cash that we will find it and we will seize it.

Detective Sergeant Sarah Langley, from our Asset Detention and Recovery Unit, said: “The ADRU is a team of experts who use all powers available to them under the Proceeds of Crime Act and are absolutely committed to ensuring criminals do not reap any form of reward from their criminality.

“£1million in cash successfully forfeited so far by the Asset Detention and Recovery Unit is a fantastic start to the year and once again I am proud of the hard work and dedication by my team. It sends a very clear message to those that act criminally, that crime does not pay in Greater Manchester.  

Detective Chief Inspector Joseph Harrop, of our Economic Crime Unit, said: “With this latest forfeiture of a million pounds, it demonstrates how we will use every tool at our disposal to ensure that money held by unscrupulous individuals is being brought back into the community to tackle and prevent crime.

“Our Asset Detention and Recovery Unit will continue to focus on forfeiting cash and listed assets.

“Alongside our Confiscation and Restraint Unit and our new Account Freezing Order and Money Laundering Teams, the Economic Crime and Cyber Section will do everything in its power to disrupt organised crime, ensure crime doesn’t pay and will find assets wherever they are hidden.

“Last year was a record-breaking year for us at GMP, but we’re not prepared to stop there; with every passing forfeit of criminals’ cash, we are continuing to strengthen our grip on the assets possessed by offenders and suspects, and are targeting them where it hursts.

“Not only is this a staggering sum of money, it is also a recently recovered sum of money which shows how quickly we are able to take action on suspected criminality, take away the assets of those involved, and take them into our control so that they can be re-invested in worthy causes across GM.”