A drug dealer who traded in kilograms of cocaine has been ordered to pay back £23,000 despite raking in more than £500,000 in illicit cash.
John Germaine was arrested after officers pulled his Ford Kuga car over in Ashton-in-Makerfield in September last year and found £15,000 in cash and a one kilogram bar of cocaine lying on the backseat. A storage unit linked to Germaine, 33, was also raided in Burscough where officers discovered nine more kilos of cocaine and 6.4 kilos of cannabis.
The operation was conducted the Merseyside Organised Crime Partnership (OCP), a specialist team involving officers from Merseyside Police and the National Crime Agency (NCA).
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OCP detectives found that between May 2019 and September 2021 there were deposits and outgoings from Germaine’s bank account totalling around £133,000. During the same period he paid just £730 tax from his job as a courier.
Germaine, of Holt Drive in Burscough, admitted possession with intent to supply Class A and B drugs and possession of criminal property at Liverpool Crown Court. Alongside him was Daniel Weaver, 35, of Cherry Lane, Anfield. He admitted possession with intent to supply Class A and B drugs and possession of criminal property at Liverpool Crown Court, and was jailed for nine years and two months.
Weaver was a passenger in the car when it was stopped and his fingerprints were on some of the cocaine packaging.
Today a brief Proceeds of Crime (POCA) hearing was held at Liverpool Crown Court which Germaine did not attend. His barrister, Alaric Walmsley, said that the figures had been agreed, removing the need for a contested hearing.
Sarah Griffin, prosecuting, said the profit Germaine made from his illegal trade during the period of the investigation was calculated at £562,629. However, his available assets were £21,242, including the £15,000 cash seized during his arrest.
Judge Anil Murray gave Germaine three months to pay the outstanding amount, and set a default prison term of nine months behind bars if he failed to do so.
Detective Chief Inspector Paul Speight said previously: “Germaine was clearly an important link between street deals and larger consignments of drugs moving around the North West. He played a leading role in this conspiracy as he’d rented and operated a secure location where he could prepare his deals.”
