Two men seen exchanging a gun in Margate have been ordered to hand over more than £60K of criminal assets.
Lee Walker, 37, and Alex Vassallo, 30, were spotted acting suspiciously in Milton Avenue on the evening of Saturday 18 June 2022 and were both stopped and arrested. Police searched a rucksack they had been seen to exchange which was found to contain a 8mm Bruni pistol and cocaine with a street value of up to £20,000.
Both men were arrested and later charged with possession of a firearm and possession of cocaine with intent to supply.
They admitted both offences at Canterbury Crown Court and, in February 2023, Walker, formerly from an address in Ramsgate, received a five-year, seven-month sentence. Vassallo, formerly of a Broadstairs address was jailed for five years and three months.
Following the sentencing, Kent Police made an application to the court for a confiscation order, using powers contained within the Proceeds of Crime Act which enables police to take back money and assets which offenders have gained from their criminal activities and can be used again if the offenders come into further assets.
After an application to a court on Friday 13 September 2024, a judge ordered that Walker pay £56,000 of assets deemed to have been made through criminal means.
The ruling came after Vassalo was ordered to pay £4,900 at a previous hearing. Both men were given three months to pay the money or face a longer prison sentence.
Kent Police’s Detective Inspector David Godfrey said:
‘We will take every step open to us to remove criminal cash from circulation and ensure that crime doesn’t pay.
‘Our investigations showed that these two men had clearly profited from illegitimate means and recovering this money will help keep Kent a safer place.’