The leader of a criminal gang who went on the run before being captured in Dubai has been ordered to pay back his ill-gotten gains.
Leon Cullen, from Warrington, was in charge of a criminal network involved in the supply of guns and cocaine, alongside his twin brother Anthony. He evaded police for two years using a false passport but was detained on an international arrest warrant in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) on 3 January 2020.
Following extradition proceedings, Cullen, 33, returned to the United Kingdom on February 19, 2021. He was charged after a joint operation by Cheshire Police 's serious and organised crime unit, the National Crime Agency, the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit, Interpol and authorities in the UAE.
READ MORE: The murky world of Leon Cullen and his £300,000 a month cocaine and gun trade
Cullen was later convicted as part of Operation Samurai, a covert investigation into a business that centred on supplying firearms, ammunition and cocaine to organised crime groups across the North West.
During his time running the gang, Cullen would operate using violence in order to intimidate and exert control towards those he believed had crossed him as well as to enforce debts. He was found to have profited almost £350,000 from the supply of firearms, ammunition and cocaine between 1 June 2016 to 11 January 2018.
In July 2017, he turned his attention to firearm supply and became in direct contact with an associate in Liverpool to transfer handguns and ammunition. He had ultimate control and direction of a functioning AK-series rifle, a pump-action shotgun, automatic pistols and revolvers as well as a silencer that was fitted to one of the automatic handguns complete with ammunition.
Those guns were found inside a house in Warrington where a mum and her young child lived, with weapons discovered in an ottoman and inside a loft. At least one of the firearms – a self-loading pistol – had been used in a shooting at a house on Rose Avenue in Liverpool on August 20, 2015. A round was fired into the living room while the occupant was inside.
However, Cullen's organised crime group consisting of 20 men were jailed for a total of 185 years in January 2019 - Anthony was given a 27-year sentence. After returning to the UK from the United Arab Emirates, Leon Cullen was jailed for 22 years and six months.
A hearing held at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday (August 8) saw Cullen ordered to pay back money he earned while committing his crimes. The judge ordered a total of £22,830.38 to be paid back at the hearing, while a Rolex watch valued at £23,000 and £4,830 of money were seized from Cullen's possession by police when he was detained.
At the hearing, Cullen was also handed a Serious Crime Prevention Order (SCPO). This means he will be robustly monitored when he leaves prison and bans Cullen from associating with the men who were part of his organised crime group.
He must inform Cheshire Police of any vehicles and communication devices he owns or uses and must tell the police where he is living and working and of any bank accounts he uses.
Detective Inspector Rob Balfour, from Cheshire Police's Serious and Organised Crime Unit, said: “The criminal activity run by the Cullens has earned them, and others at the top end of the organised crime group, a considerable amount of money from which they have lived a lavish lifestyle for a short time.
“We will keep utilising this legislation so not only do criminals have to complete lengthy sentences, their earned assets are removed and their lives post sentence are affected by further financial restrictions until they have literally paid their debt to society.
“I think the public expect us to recover ill-gotten gains and rightly so. They don’t want to see drug dealers profiting from their criminality and it is only right that we recover what we can.
“It’s important to highlight the powers of the Proceeds of Crime Act and SCPOs to help deter and prevent criminals from returning to organised crime but also to young men who look up to and are influenced by people like Leon.”
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