DRUGS AGENCY CHIEF VOWS TO MAKE SCOTLAND UNPROFITABLE FOR CRIMINALS

A NEW national offensive to strip organised criminals of their
illicit earnings is to be launched by the Scottish Drug Enforcement
Agency (SDEA).

Graeme Pearson, the agency's director, revealed that he has
instructed a four-month review of the SDEA's use of the Proceeds of
Crime Act in an attempt to improve its effectiveness.

Giving his first major interview since the SDEA last week became part
of the Serious Organised Crime Agency - dubbed the UK's FBI - Pearson
said the group planned to up the ante on criminals by increasing its
use of the act against not only the millionaire crime barons, but
also the "toerag" drug dealers making life hell on Scotland's housing
estates.

The act would also be deployed as a weapon to close down those behind
newly emerging criminal markets in Scotland, such as people-
trafficking and the international sex trade.

Pearson said: "I commenced a review of the Proceeds of Crime Act in
February. We want to look at how it has operated, where we could make
it better, how we streamline our use of it, what extra skills we need
to make it more effective and how we can improve the way we activate
the legislation."

He said that a working group would report next month.

Pearson revealed that, despite intelligence that criminals were
buying up copies of the Proceeds of Crime Act from bookstores because
they were so worried about its impact, the SDEA would use the
review's findings to launch a fresh offensive against them.

"Proceeds of crime in people's minds is all about the millionaires,
but we also need to show them that it's about the dealer at the top
of the street," he added. "The public want the dealer at the top of
the street, who's got the jewellery, the plasma telly, the fancy
motor at the door and the holidays, tackled every bit as much as they
want the millions taken off others.

"If we take even ?30,000 off these criminals on a regular basis, then
ordinary kids growing up in that environment will much rather be
successful footballers or stay on at school and do well than follow
the example of this toerag.

"If we can get this right, I believe that the scheme dealer no longer
becomes a role model for young people. What they'll see is someone
who works hard at trying to generate a criminal activity and the
authorities come along and take it all off them.

"Organised crime in my view is all about power and influence. If we
can make sure they don't get access to wealth, there is actually no
reason to be involved in organised crime.

"Prison is [currently] viewed as a tax. They'll do two or three years
in jail and when they come out they still have the money and the nice
house. But if not only do they get three years in jail, but when
they've come out they have also lost a quarter of a million pounds,
that has a huge impact."

Since its introduction in April 2003, the Proceeds of Crime Act has
led to the seizure of assets worth hundreds of millions of pounds
through confiscation orders. Last month, justice minister Cathy
Jamieson announced that ?2 million of seized cash would pay for
schemes aimed at reducing crime in Scottish communities.

Also last month, it was revealed that a 37-year-old man and 36-year-
old woman arrested in Edinburgh on money-laundering charges faced the
possible confiscation of UKP 1m under the legislation.

However, Pearson stressed that the SDEA would use the act to turn off
international criminals from setting up business in Scotland.

"In terms of human trafficking, if you cut out the wealth that can be
generated, you cut out the logic for delivering women here," he said.
"My aim is that in two or three years' time, when the legislation
really begins to bite and when organised crime groups look at
Scotland, they'll see a cold patch on the map and go elsewhere."