A 24-year-old drug dealer from Keynsham has been required to pay a £28,000 confiscation order, following a hearing at Bristol Crown Court last week.
Tyrone Royal, of Charlton Road in Keynsham, was issued with the order at Bristol Crown Court on Friday 17th August.
On 26th October 2016, a search warrant was executed at his home in Charlton Road. A quantity of cash (£6426) was seized together with high value designer items including baseball caps, sunglasses, bags, clothing and jewellery.
Inside his vehicle were two blocks of cocaine weighing 41.09 grams and 7.01 grams along with 268.18 grams of Benzocaine, an agent commonly used to mix with drugs to dilute their purity.
Royal was arrested and on 27th September last year appeared at Bristol Magistrates Court where he was formally charged.
On 8th February this year, he was convicted at Bristol Crown Court of possessing a controlled drug with intent to supply. He was later sentenced to five and a half years imprisonment.
On Friday, 17th August, at Bristol Crown Court HHJ Ambrose ordered a confiscation against Tyrone Royal to the value of £28,236.00, which included cash and goods seized from him.
His benefit from crime was assessed to be £58,271.03. Royal maintained that credits paid to him represented takings from legitimate business enterprises.
Royal must pay the total confiscation order of £28,236. Failure to do so will result in a further six months imprisonment and he will still have to repay the remaining sum of the order owed.
Dr Kirstie Cogram, Manager of Avon and Somerset Police’s Complex Crime Unit said: “We are committed to seizing any assets that criminals have gained as a result of crime.
“It is not acceptable that criminals benefit from illegal activities and we will relentlessly pursue them through the courts to ensure their money is taken.
“By doing this we show criminals that they will not benefit from crime and hopefully deter others from entering a life of crime.”
