'Dealer should pay back every penny'
A DRUG dealer who made £113,219 selling cocaine has been ordered to hand back just £11,339 by a court.
Damien Miller is currently serving a seven-year prison sentence after heading an operation to bring 1kg of cocaine into Stoke-on-Trent.
The drugs had a purity of 70 per cent and a street value of £88,000.
But it emerged at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court yesterday that 28-year-old Miller had made £113,219 from drugs – and had just £11,339 left in realisable assets.
Now Miller, of Gill Bank Road, Kidsgrove, has been given six months to pay up or face a further eight months in jail.
Robert Price, prosecuting, said: "As far as his assets are concerned, there are three sources.
"There is just over £5,000 in his Natwest account, and the sale proceeds in relation to two vehicles."
Miller was appearing in court with associate John Mayer, aged 46, who is serving five years in jail after police found 150 grams of cocaine during a raid on his Hanley home.
Mayer, of Nelson Place, had said he was storing the drugs for Miller, but was found guilty of dealing following a trial last year.
The court heard Mayer had made £20,899 from the crime and that £13,000 of that amount could be confiscated.
Mayer will spend another nine months in jail if he does not pay up straight away.
The court heard Miller had bought the cocaine from Kwame Terry, aged 24, of Liverpool, who was jailed for 10 years in August for supplying the drug.
It emerged he made £54,875 from the crime, and must repay £1,204 immediately or face an additional 21-day prison sentence.
Following yesterday's Proceeds of Crime hearing, a father whose son died in August after battling cannabis and heroin addiction for 20 years, today labelled the punishment handed to Miller as "pathetic".
Jim Gibson, aged 57, of Chell Heath, whose son Gareth died, said: "We are still waiting for the inquest into my son's death but we suspect it was drug-related.
"This man should be forced to pay back every penny. Paying back £11,339 is not much of a deterrent for others who see drug dealing as a fast way to get rich.
"My family has been scarred for life because of people like this, along with thousands of families across the country. Drug dealers are a scourge on society and should pay for what they have done."
In the past nine months, police have seized more than £1.5 million of goods and cash to stop criminals living a life of luxury.
The cash was secured through more than 70 orders.
Dawn raids to catch dealers: Pages 6&7
8 Comments
by Mick Penning, newcastle, staffs
Friday, January 29 2010, 9:54PM
“It's quite apparent that some have a hang-over from too much historic brainwashing on this subject to warrant a sensible debate.
Biggest killers by miles are baccy and alcohol -but he tabloid lads/journalist/editors like both -so they aren't going to exactly join in on a level playing field are they now?
Murk, murk and more murk -that's all you'll get 'til the cows come home or the tabloids play fair.”
by Tim, Stoke
Friday, January 29 2010, 9:19PM
“stokiemart
Yeah, Can you imagine at the local Offy, " 20 fags, a six pack and a gram of coke please. O' yeah and a packet of E's aswell
Think you have to many Drugs mate..................”
by stokiemart, withnail
Friday, January 29 2010, 2:09PM
“I was pointing to the hypocrisy of English law with relation to drugs. Alcohol is a drug. Those that sell alcohol are drug dealers, legal drug dealers. If a society/governemnt chooses to make legal and tax one particular type of drug(s) and not another, taking into account the relative harm of both (alcohol and cigarettes kill many more people than cocaine) then in my opinion its difficult to deny such hypocrisy. It's a pity that open debate about this issue is stifled in this country. Maybe a more enlightened approach would allow for a system where the supply of drugs is taken away from the criminal fraternity.”
by Anon, Stoke
Friday, January 29 2010, 1:27PM
“There are drug dealers all over the UK, who get nothing more than a slap on the wrists, there is one living in a brand new 3 bed semi-detached house behind Asda Wolstanton, rented from Staffordshire Housing, 3 weeks after he had the front door smashed in on his former Staffs Housing property in a raid by Staffs Police, yet he now lives on an estate with unsuspecting families, and neither the Police or his Landlord have done a thing.”
by Mrs Cheveley, Trentham
Friday, January 29 2010, 1:03PM
“Alcohol is no more illegal in Singapore than it is in the UK, so I fail to see how that makes cg a hypocrite.
cg is wrong though. He wouldn't have got life in a "basic" prison. For cocaine dealing in Singapore, the death sentence is mandatory upon conviction.
It's pretty irrelevant though really because we don't live in Singapore.”
by stokiemart, stoke
Friday, January 29 2010, 12:50PM
“cg stoke... whilst I respect your opinion we live in the UK not Singapore. In some countries the sale of alcohol, a DRUG that can have devastating consequences for users, abusers and their families, is illegal. I take it you would not like to be accused of hypocrisy in this so would support the implementation of such prohibition laws here. Just a thought....”
by cg, stoke
Friday, January 29 2010, 12:36PM
“in Singapore he would have got life in a "basic" prison or the death penalty.
Don't seem to have aproblem with drug dealers over there though. Hmmmm. I wonder why . Again, this country is pathetic!”
by mh, stoke on trent
Friday, January 29 2010, 10:03AM
“and who says crime doesnt pay.”