Drug deal man William Thomson to have £90,000 seized

A man who was jailed for three years after being caught handing over cash in a drug deal is to have £91,000 seized under proceeds of crime laws.

William Thomson, 49, from Lanark, was arrested in October 2006 after transferring a holdall full of money to a car in Uddingston, South Lanarkshire.

Police intelligence revealed the cash - more than £90,000 - was in exchange for a delivery of drugs the following day.

Thomson was arrested following a long-running investigation by police.

The cash recovered in the operation was later stolen from Hamilton police station by a civilian worker.

Robert Moffat, a member of police support staff who looked after evidence, was found guilty of the theft and jailed for 22 months in November 2008.

Thomson, who was known to have links to serious and organised crime, was found guilty of offences under the Proceeds of Crime Act .

The court heard that his arrest was part of a two-year investigation by the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency.

We will continue to use every power available to us to disrupt these criminal enterprises”

The operation focused on the activities of an organised crime group operating in the Lanarkshire and Glasgow areas.

Officers carrying out surveillance on Thomson saw him hand a bag to the occupant of Peugeot car in Uddingston.

Strathclyde Police later stopped the vehicle on the M74 near Bothwell and the holdall was found to contain more than £90,000.

The money was forensically examined and found to be heavily contaminated with heroin.

Thomson was pursued by Scotland's Civil Recovery Unit, which looks to confiscate cash and assets obtained through criminal activity.

A confiscation order for £91,415 was granted against him at Hamilton Sheriff Court on Friday.

Speaking afterwards, the Crown Office's Lindsey Miller said: "The Proceeds of Crime Act gives prosecutors wide-ranging powers to seize back cash and assets from those who choose to make their living from illegal activities.

"We will continue to use every power available to us to disrupt these criminal enterprises."