A convicted drug dealer from Maidstone has been ordered to repay £87,943 of his illegal profits under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA).
James Steel, 41, of Sutton Valence, was sentenced to eight years and four months in December 2024 after pleading guilty to charges including conspiracy to supply cocaine and cannabis. A Kent Police investigation found Steel had benefited by a total of £674,180 from his offending. On Tuesday, December 9, 2025, Maidstone Crown Court ordered the confiscation of his available assets, totalling £87,943. These assets include over £57,000 in seized cash, a speedboat, motorbikes, and other vehicles. Steel has three months to pay the confiscation order or he will face an additional two years in prison.
Detective Inspector Dave Godfrey, of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, said:
‘Steel along with his co-conspirators were making a considerable profit from their criminal enterprise and it is pleasing the court has ordered the confiscation of money and other items of value he had accrued.
‘The Proceeds of Crime Act continues to be an important tool in our efforts to target organised criminals and it comes with the sanction of additional time in prison if the full funds are not forthcoming. We can then continue to use the legislation should the offender come into possession of cash or other items of value at a later stage.’