Dean Garforth, part of a drug and gun gang, is ordered to repay over £40,000 of his criminal profits.
Detectives looked at Garforth’s messages from March to July 2020. He was thirty-two years old. Police searched his house in Widnes, but he had already left the country to hide in Spain.
Police looked for Garforth for two years, working with Spanish police and asking the public for help. Garforth was on a “most wanted” list, which said he might be in Spain.
Police arrested Garforth in Marbella, Spain, on October 24, 2022. He was on an e-bike and tried to escape the officers, hitting one of them with the bike.
Multiple agencies, including police from the UK and Spain, caught Garforth. He was sent back to the UK in March 2023.
He was charged with drug and weapons charges. He went to court in January last year, and the judge sentenced him to prison for nineteen and a half years.
Police looked into Garforth’s money and found he got a lot from crime, benefiting around £1.53 million. Authorities proved he still had some assets, possessing over £40,000.
This included his house equity and the value of his off-road motorbike. He was ordered to pay the money back at court recently.
Police feel this sends a strong message that Cheshire Police take back money from crime.