A man living in Ireland has made a €121,000 settlement with the British authorities over alleged proceeds of drug trafficking.
Jonathan Edward Alford (34), with an address in Skibbereen in west Cork, bought a house in the historic city of Bath in 1998 for €202,000 and sold it in April 2002.
The local police force referred the case to the Assets Recovery Agency (ARA). The ARA froze the proceeds of the sale, which were held in a client account by a solicitor.
"The agency alleged that Mr Alford had purchased a property in Bath with the proceeds of drug trafficking. It has accepted Mr Alford's offer to settle of £84,253.16 (€121,594.07)," it said in a statement.
Mr Alford now lives in a local authority estate in Skibbereen.
The ARA was modelled on the Criminal Assets Bureau when it was set up in 2002 to target British-based criminals. It has the power to recover the proceeds of unlawful activity by a civil action in the High Court.
PA