£29k in cash seized by officers after car stopped in Chesterfield

The BMW was pulled over on Sunday, February 19 in Station Road, after officers from the Safer Neighbourhood Team saw it driving erratically.

As part of a search of the vehicle, £120 in £20 notes was found in the pocket of the driver’s side door.

A further search of a property in Spencer Street in Chesterfield, uncovered a further £29,495 in cash, believed to have been received as a result of crime. The money was seized under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (POCA).

The driver of the BMW appeared at Chesterfield Justice Centre on Monday, March 6 and admitted one count of driving a vehicle without third party insurance. The man, in his twenties, was handed eight points on his licence and fined a total of £456.

The cash seized forms part of more than £35,000 recovered by the force in the month of March alone.

It takes the total recovered by our officers in the last financial year, from April 2022 to the end of March 2023, to £677,000. The money was recovered under POCA after the offenders in each case couldn’t prove that the money was obtained by themselves through legal means.

Other large seizures included £227,702.67 which was discovered during a money laundering investigation in Long Eaton and £100,965.20 which was seized from criminals during enquiries into the supply of Class A drugs in Derby.

Commenting on the seizure of the cash in Chesterfield, Chief Inspector Katie Andrews said: “This positive action by our local safer neighbourhood officers is just one example of the proactive work that is undertaken across our communities every day.

“The Proceeds of Crime Act allows us to go after those criminals who’ve made money from their illegal activity, with no explanation as to how they come by it.

“I hope this sends a clear message to those who believe they can profit from crime – we will pursue you and hold you to account”