Firearm dealers' houses to be auctioned to repay criminal gains

Houses owned by two Luton men convicted of selling firearms are set to be auctioned to repay some of the money they made illegally.

Muzaffer Ali, 45, and Khalid Hussain, 54, were jailed in August 2017 following a Bedfordshire Police investigation which found they were key members of an organised crime group responsible for importing and selling firearms. AIi was sentenced to life imprisonment and Hussain jailed for 19 years.

After the initial operation, specialist financial investigators from the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU) began enquiries into the money the pair had made from their criminal activities.

It was established they had earned a combined £835,000 and a court order was granted forcing them to repay this amount.

However, after they failed to satisfy a Confiscation Order, investigators from ERSOU's Criminal Finance Team continued their work to recover an outstanding £448,601.60.

They established Ali owned two properties in Bletchley and another in Luton, with Hussain having a stake in a separate Luton house. The pair also jointly owned another property in Luton.

Using Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) legislation, on Monday, February 6, investigators secured an Enforcement Receivership Management Order at St Albans Crown Court, meaning a receiver effectively takes control of the properties and auctions them to raise the money. The outstanding debt must be dealt with within six months.

Detective Sergeant James Morgan, from ERSOU, said: "This investigation shows the lengths our investigators are willing to go to ensure convicted criminals are forced to repay the money they made through illicit means.

"Significant time has passed since this pair were convicted. However, we will leave no stone unturned in our enquiries to make sure any ill-gotten gains are repaid, including stripping offenders of their belongings and real estate.

"The properties will now head to auction to recoup the money they owe. If there is still an outstanding amount, we will continue to follow all investigative avenues to get this returned."

Detective Chief Inspector James Panter, from Bedfordshire Police, said: "This case shows that law enforcement agencies will work tirelessly to pursue those behind some of the most serious criminality, whether that's putting them behind bars or stripping them of the items they've bought with illicit cash.

"Through initiatives such as Operation Costello we also have officers dedicated to disrupting the activities of drug dealers, gang members and the 'professional enablers' who assist organised crime groups by supplying them with materials for criminal use or by letting them use premises for illegal activity.

"We'll also continue to work with our partners - even after convictions have been secured - to ensure offenders are stripped of items funded by criminal means."