NWROCU issue Confiscation Order for more than £12 million against convicted drug supplier Paula White

Officers from the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit (NWROCU) are welcoming a hearing yesterday (Monday, 9th October) which has resulted in a Confiscation Order of more than £12 million being issued against a convicted drug supplier from GMP.

49-year-old Paula White from Eccles was originally sentenced, with six others, to nine years in prison at Bolton Crown Court in 2015 as part of the largest ‘legal high’ investigation in the UK with around £4 million worth of drugs sold online.

During the hearing at Carlisle Crown Court, White was ordered to pay back £1,773,605.52 by 8th January 2019, or she will face a further eight years in prison.

Money was also traced and restrained in Tanzania, with co-operation from the authorities there, which is the first time that they have restrained money on behalf of a foreign jurisdiction.

Sarah Cooke, the British High Commissioner in Tanzania stated, “We are very grateful for the support of the Tanzanian government in assisting the UK to trace and restrain the criminal assets of Paula White. Her crimes were committed in the UK but she hid her profits in Tanzania. It is only by working together that we can tackle serious international crime and remove the financial profit from criminal activity. This case is an excellent example of the benefits to both our countries of the strong partnership we have built to tackle drug trafficking and seize criminal assets. We thank the Tanzanian authorities, in particular, Office of the National Prosecution Service, Police and Attorney General’s office.”

White and her accomplices were originally arrested in May 2013. White was regarded as the head of the organisation and upon searching her house it soon became apparent the extent to which she had profited from her drug business.

She owned a brand new Aston Martin and a house worth £800,000 with a large extension, orangery and a swimming pool under construction as well as a £10,000 dog kennel. Designer clothing, vehicles, jewellery, wall mounted high value televisions as well as garden furniture (worth over £25,000) were all amongst items seized and removed from the property.
Further financial investigation revealed that White also owned an opulent villa in Marbella, Spain (pictured).

Detective Chief Inspector Ian Hussey from the NWROCU said: “This result sends a very important message to anyone involved in serious and organised crime. Not only will we pursue you through the courts, we will go after your criminal assets and ensure that as much of the proceeds are returned to crime-fighters across the region.

“Like any drug operation, the impact of White and her groups’ activities was extremely serious and sadly linked to the death of one man and illnesses to others. In effect, they experimented with mixtures with no testing and little concept of the harm they would cause.

“Taking any controlled drugs is a complete lottery and there is no way of knowing the contents or effects.

“POCA confiscations and auctions are all about justice being seen to be done. We are pleased that the proceeds will go back into fighting crime across the region.

“The public do not like to see people involved in serious and organised crime benefitting from that criminal lifestyle by being able to afford all the nice things that the rest of us have to work hard and work legitimately to earn.

“Crime on such scale causes massive issues to wider society and innocent people’s lives across the North-west and our unit exists to put a stop to it by using all the technology, tactics and legislation at our disposal.

“POCA powers give us the ability to take things like TVs, computers, jewellery and high-end vehicles from suspects if we believe they have been funded by crime. We can quickly apply to the courts for a confiscation order and then sell those goods and that money will be re-invested back into crime fighting across the North-west region by the government.

“It means criminals not only have the prospect of significant prison sentences but they also face coming out to nothing when they are eventually freed.”