£1.8m confiscated from criminals

Graffiti removal units are among projects funded by crime cash

Some £1.8m in cash has been seized from drug dealers, money launderers and fraudsters over the past six months, Lord Advocate Eilish Angiolini said.

Assets worth an estimated £12.5m have also been frozen.

About £765,00 was confiscated from convicted criminals and more than £1m - believed to be the proceeds of crime - was recovered in civil courts.

Since the Proceeds of Crime Act came into force in 2003, some £10m has been seized to be reinvested in communities.

Ms Angiolini said action taken by the Financial Crime Unit and the Civil Recovery Unit was making a "serious dent" in the black market economy.

'Think again'

"Year on year we are continuing to make good on the promise to use the Proceeds of Crime Act to hit criminals where it hurts - in the pocket," she said.

"Using the full powers of the criminal and civil courts we are proving day after day that by working with the police and other criminal justice agencies we can make a serious dent in the Scottish black market economy."

Justice minister Cathy Jamieson also welcomed the latest seizures, saying it would make criminals "think again".

She said: "When we introduced the Proceeds of Crime Act in 2002 we were determined to clamp down on those involved in evil trades like drug dealing by stripping them of their ill-gotten gains."

Seized money has so far been reinvested in projects such as youth outreach work, CCTV vans, community transport and local campaigns to encourage drug dealer tip-offs.