MORE THAN £5m in cash and valuables was seized from criminals in West Yorkshire last year say police.
Assets including cash, cars and houses can be confiscated or forfeited by the courts using the Proceeds of Crime Act.
For the 2010-11 financial year, confiscation orders were granted with a value of £5,037,199.26.
More than £580,000 has been forfeited and police have also restrained access to cash, bank accounts and property to a value of £20.5m.
Those ordered to hand over valuables included 27-year-old Zahid Ali, of Moorfield Road, Fartown.
He was jailed for 11 years for firearms and drugs offences at Bradford Crown Court in February.
A confiscation order granted following the sentencing stated he had made criminal gains of £60,000 and must pay £8,000 immediately.
Det Chief Insp Fran Naughton, of West Yorkshire Police’s economic crime unit, said: “These are tough times for the public and the last year has seen law abiding members of the public losing their jobs and livelihoods.
“Criminals have no regard for how hard people have to work to keep their families afloat. We are committed to investigating negative role models in your communities and not only convicting them of their crimes but stripping them of their assets.”
