Runcorn drug dealer handed confiscation order totalling more than £80,000

A drug dealer who police stop-checked for speeding in Runcorn Old Town has been handed a Confiscation Order by the courts worth more the £87,000.

Billy Moores of Handforth Lane, Runcorn was jailed for two years and eight months at Chester Crown Court on 1 May after pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply class A drugs (cocaine) at his first hearing.

On 26 October at Chester Crown Court granted a confiscation order against Moores who was ordered to immediately pay £900 against an extended benefit figure of £87,615.99 which will be collected once further assets have been identified. He has three months to pay or face a further month imprisonment if he fails to pay the full amount.

The 32-year-old was spotted by police at 2.12pm on 3 April driving above the speed limit. They briefly lost sight of the vehicle but located the car parked in a parking bay on Mersey Road and saw Moores getting out of his vehicle.

The officers searched Moores and the vehicle, discovering 44 wraps of cocaine worth between £1,320 and £4,400. He also had in his possession £900 in cash.

PC Dawn Taylor from the Runcorn Beat Initiative Team said: “Not only is Moores spending time in jail, he is also losing the money the courts deem as being obtained by criminal means proving that crime really doesn’t pay.

“I hope this goes as a warning to others that as well as keeping our communities safe and criminals off the streets, we’re working with the CPS to take out the profits that fund crime. By doing this we can help disrupt the cycle and prevent further offences.”