Cambridgeshire Police: Shop worker ordered to pay back £100.000 under proceeds of crime rules

On December 7 last year, officers carried out a warrant at The Natural Shop, in Brooks Road, Cambridge, where Cox worked.

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Officers searched him and found £600 and a piece of paper with names and the figure £101,037.20 written on it. He was arrested on suspicion of money laundering.

Later that day officers searched his home in Doggett Road, Cambridge, where they found cannabis and drugs paraphernalia, and another property he was using in Coleridge Road where they found cannabis being grown in three rooms, about £5000 in cash, a letter from the Co-operative Bank stating a balance of more than £34,000 and further financial paperwork and drugs paraphernalia.   

Cox was released on bail pending further police inquiries and proceeded to withdraw more than £10,000 from two building society accounts.

He also withdrew nearly £27,000 in the form of a cheque made payable to his parents which he later burnt.

Cox was further arrested for money laundering offences and during interview admitted burying £5000 in cash in his parents back garden.

Further inquiries with the Co-operative Bank revealed Cox had a current account containing more than £4000 and a fixed term deposit account containing more than £29,000. 

“This case demonstrates that not only will we put people committing crime before the courts but also do everything we can to confiscate any gains they have made from their offending.”