A notorious British crime figure is set to lose millions in drug-related cash after a court ruling
London: A British crime boss known as “Don Car-leone” is in hot water. A judge has decided that he’ll lose £3.5 million linked to drug money. This guy, Alexander Surin, claimed he made his cash trading gold. But the court wasn’t buying it.
Surin, who’s got a flashy collection of cars, had a stash of Bitcoin in an account in Africa. The judge ruled that this money was actually from illegal drug trafficking. It’s a big deal because the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is now set to seize it.
He had previously given up some luxury cars to the National Crime Agency (NCA) as part of the investigation. Surin opened his crypto account with Coinbase Kenya, claiming he earned the Bitcoin from gold sales in Dubai. But his story is shaky at best.
The CPS argued there’s strong evidence linking him to drug dealing. They pointed out that large transfers into his account came from a guy named Christian Hargreaves, who’s now serving time for drug conspiracy.
Surin, who’s believed to be living in Dubai, insists there’s no proof of any wrongdoing on his part. He’s been trying to defend himself, but the CPS says he hasn’t provided any solid records to back up his claims.
Back in 2015, he had to hand over a bunch of assets after being convicted in France for drug trafficking. The judge noted that the CPS had compelling evidence against him, making it hard for Surin to argue otherwise.
In the past, he and his wife admitted that £4.5 million worth of their assets were obtained through crime. It looks like this time, he’s in for another big loss.
