Customs racket

[Gary L]

Just watching a customs program. they stopped someone carrying 350,000 euros.
customs said while they investigate whether the money is legit or drug money etc.. they put it in a high interest bank account.
if it turns out that the money isn't legit it goes to the exchequer.
so in effect. the government profits from drug/prostitution crime.
if the money is legit. the government keeps the interest.

another one was a market sellers van was seized along with 6,000 cigarettes.
he could have the van back straight away for 500 euros but he only had 300 euros on him.
they gave him the van.

what a racket.

[Kymmy]

Links to these incidents?

[Gary L]

A pic of my TV do?

It's on PickTV now.

[Derek]

POCA - Proceeds of Crime Act.

Cracking bit of legislation that makes people with less than legit business practises have to answer some very interesting questions about why they have a large amount of cash on them, where it came from and where it is going to.

Originally Posted by Derek

POCA - Proceeds of Crime Act.

Cracking bit of legislation that makes people with less than legit business practises have to answer some very interesting questions about why they have a large amount of cash on them, where it came from and where it is going to.

Indeed ,and why shouldn't the exchequer profit ,if that is indeed the case ,after all the same people carrying hundreds of thousands around in cash are probably not paying tax either

[Gary L]

Originally Posted by martyh

Indeed ,and why shouldn't the exchequer profit ,if that is indeed the case ,after all the same people carrying hundreds of thousands around in cash are probably not paying tax either

It's dirty money.
the tax has probably already been paid on it a few times over.

this is how it works.
1,000 people get paid £350 (AFTER TAX)
they spend it on, lets say drugs to one drug dealer.
£350,000 tax paid total.

which the government now have to pee up the wall or something.

[Derek]

Originally Posted by Gary L

this is how it works.
1,000 people get paid £350 (AFTER TAX)
they spend it on, lets say drugs to one drug dealer.
£350,000 tax paid total.

Or more likely.

Drug user gets benefits or steals to fund their drug habit.

1,000 pay £350 to the local friendly skag dealer funded mostly by tax payers and insurance companies.
Dealer takes his £350,000 and attempts to buy more drugs which are delivered before the cash gets seized by the Police.
Police impound the cash and dealer is left £350,000 out of pocket.
Dealer then gets kneecapped or worse by dealers further up the supply chain who want their £350,000

Originally Posted by Gary L

It's dirty money.
the tax has probably already been paid on it a few times over.

this is how it works.
1,000 people get paid £350 (AFTER TAX)
they spend it on, lets say drugs to one drug dealer.
£350,000 tax paid total.

which the government now have to pee up the wall or something.

Yes it may be dirty money ,but someone has to "clean" it and that may as well be the government in fact thinking about it putting the money into the exchequer is probably the only way to clean it ,both morally and legally as it is a way of legitimately returning the money to society
I may be wrong on that (especially the legal bit) but i cannot think of another way to legally "clean" drugs money ,smuggling ect

[Gary L]

Originally Posted by Derek

Or more likely.

Ok, but the government still profit out of crime. it's a wonder they don't start encouraging it

(Marty is still composing his reply)

Originally Posted by Gary L

Ok, but the government still profit out of crime. it's a wonder they don't start encouraging it

(Marty is still composing his reply)

You appear to be confusing confiscation of illegal assets with profit.

Originally Posted by Gary L

Ok, but the government still profit out of crime. it's a wonder they don't start encouraging it

(Marty is still composing his reply)

wrong ,the government don't profit from anything ,the government don't have any money ,we ,the public profit from this money because it is returned to the exchequer which is our money not the governments

[Gary L]

Originally Posted by martyh

Yes it may be dirty money ,but someone has to "clean" it and that may as well be the government in fact thinking about it putting the money into the exchequer is probably the only way to clean it ,both morally and legally as it is a way of legitimately returning the money to society
I may be wrong on that (especially the legal bit) but i cannot think of another way to legally "clean" drugs money ,smuggling ect

Look at it another way. say the country was loaded. loads of money to go around.

they'd burn the dirty money then.

Originally Posted by Gary L

Look at it another way. say the country was loaded. loads of money to go around.

they'd burn the dirty money then.

But it isn't, so they don't.

[Gary L]

Originally Posted by Hugh

You appear to be confusing confiscation of illegal assets with profit.

Profit/gain, same thing.

---------- Post added at 22:04 ---------- Previous post was at 22:03 ----------

Originally Posted by Hugh

But it isn't, so they don't.

Exactly.

Originally Posted by Gary L

Look at it another way. say the country was loaded. loads of money to go around.

they'd burn the dirty money then.

no they wouldn't ,money cannot just disapear ,burning £10 notes does not destroy the value of that money