Drug dealer ordered to pay criminal cash back or face more jail time

In 2022, an operation led by Leigh Neighbourhood Policing Team resulted in the conviction of Damien Robinson (13/9/1969) of Pennine Grove, Leigh. He pleaded guilty possession of cannabis and possession of diazepam with intent to supply.

An investigation was launched after police noticed him driving in a dangerous and erratic manner. He was pulled over, and during a search of his vehicle, police recovered cannabis and a large quantity of cash.

Following his arrest, police searched his house, and seized more cannabis and diazepam. The total evaluation of the seized illicit items was £51,310.

Today (Friday 1 March) Robinson appeared at Bolton Crown Court where he was ordered to pay back £110,633.87. The financial investigation uncovered that at the time of his arrest, Robinson was selling his house. The money he made from this sale was transferred to a third party, in an attempt to hide this money from police. Around £76,000 of the total he must pay back is from this.

If Robinson fails to pay the order within three months, he will face further time in jail.

Detective Inspector Pat Wood from GMP Wigan district said: “This latest order sends a strong message to criminals that even if your time in jail is coming to an end, we will use every power available to ensure you cannot come back out and continue with your lavish lifestyle that’s funded through crime.

“This highlights the importance of asset recovery and confiscation investigations which run alongside our criminal investigations. It enables us to maximise our opportunities to recover significant money which has derived from crime, at the expense of vulnerable people in our communities.

“A proportion of this will now be reinvested back into the communities of Greater Manchester via our Asset Recovery Incentivisation Scheme (ARIS).”

Find out more about ARIS funding, and apply for funding for your charity or organisation here Giving back: Investing in our community | Greater Manchester Police (gmp.police.uk)