Drug dealer ordered to pay £932

A convicted drug dealer has been ordered to pay back £932.25 obtained through selling cocaine and heroin or face jail.

Shamraze Ul-Hassan, 32, of Freshfield Gardens, Bradford, was ordered to forfeit the cash by Bradford Crown Court at a Proceeds of Crime hearing on 11 January 2023.

In 2021 he pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing crack cocaine with intent to supply and two counts of possessing heroin with intent to supply after officers seized a package of drugs that had been dropped on the floor at a sports centre in Skipton.

Enquiries led officers to Ul-Hassan, resulting in the seizure of £377 and during a search of his Bradford home, officers recovered a further £555 cash and suspected drugs paraphernalia. After his guilty pleas, the judge handed him a suspended two-year prison sentence and drug treatment programme.

Following his conviction, an investigation into his finances by North Yorkshire Police’s Economic Crime Unit found that he had profited by £18,327 through his drug dealing. However, the amount he must forfeit reflects his current assets that amount to £932.25. Although he will still be liable to pay the full amount of his criminal benefit of £18,327 if he is found to have assets in the future.  

Inspector Penny Taylor of North Yorkshire Police, said: “While Ul-Hassan may have avoided a custodial sentence for his original crimes, the Proceeds of Crime Act allows us to take further action to deprive criminals of their illegal-earned money. We will use it at every opportunity to prevent them from benefiting from their crimes.”

Drug dealing causes misery in communities and officers urge anyone with any information to contact the police. No matter how small that piece of information is, it could help to build a bigger picture.

To report drug dealing in your area of if you suspect someone is being exploited, call North Yorkshire Police on 101, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. Always call 999 in an emergency.

 Spot the signs

Signs your neighbour or someone you know might be exploited in what is known as “cuckooing”

• Increased callers at a property
  • Increase in cars pulling up for short periods of time
  • Different accents at a property
  • Increased antisocial behaviour at a property
  • Not seeing the resident for long periods of time
  • Unfamiliar vehicles at the property
  • Windows covered or curtains closed for long periods
  • Communal doors propped open

Please also look out for the signs that a young person you know might be exploited by drug dealers:

• Persistently going missing from school or home and / or being found out-of-area;
  • Unexplained money, clothes, or mobile phones
  • Excessive receipt of texts / phone calls
  • Relationships with controlling / older individuals or groups
  • Leaving home / care without explanation
  • Suspicion of physical assault / unexplained injuries
  • Carrying weapons
  • Significant decline in school results / performance
  • Gang association or isolation from peers or social networks
  • Self-harm or significant changes in emotional well-being

 

 For free, confidential help with any drug or alcohol misuse related matter call:

North Yorkshire Horizons, adult drug and alcohol service for North Yorkshire on 08000 14 14 80 or visit www.nyhorizons.org.uk

Compass REACH, young people’s drug and alcohol service for North Yorkshire on 0800 008 7452 or visit https://www.compass-uk.org/services/north-yorkshire-compass-reach/