Three men were sentenced to prison on Friday after pleading guilty to involvement in an internet drug dealing operation, smashed by Hertfordshire Constabulary and Sussex Police with help from the National Hi-Tech Crime Unit ( NHTCU ).
The case is thought to be the first case of its kind in the country.According to Herfordshire police, the investigation began in 2002, when banks alerted the Constabulary to unusual transactions involving the transfer of large sums of money.The Constabulary joined forces with Sussex Police and the NHTCU when it became clear that the drug selling operation extended nationally, and together the units arrested and secured convictions of five individuals for involvement in drug trafficking.On Friday, Hove Crown Court sentenced Sean Jackson, 37, to five years' imprisonment for involvement in the supply of cannabis and two years for concealing the proceeds of drug trafficking.Mark Harris, 41, was sentenced to three-and-a-half years imprisonment for involvement in the supply of cannabis and 12 months for concealing the proceeds of drug trafficking, while Dominic Bolongaro, 32, was given 18 months imprisonment for the same offences.Lisa Wilkinson, 35, and David Harris, 40, were each given 200 hours community service for concealing the proceeds of drug trafficking.The Court also ruled on an application to recover assets under the Proceeds of Crime Act – tough rules that allow Courts to confiscate assets from criminals, unless the criminals can prove that the assets were not derived from crime.Jackson now has to repay £112,000 within six months. A hearing on Mark Harris's assets has yet to take place."Jackson was making hundreds of pounds a day from selling drugs to hundreds of people over password-protected web sites including Budmonkey.com and Keepit2urself.com," said PC Matt Cornish from Hertfordshire Constabulary's Tactical Team.Sergeant Jason Collins from Hertfordshire's Tactical Team added, "Jackson was well set-up with a stash of envelopes, address labels and a heat sealing machine. He would dispatch the drugs and visit cash points on a regular basis and make large withdrawals from his personal bank accounts – we had an overwhelming amount of evidence against him."
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