The criminal mastermind who used a Laleham farm as part of his multi-million pound cocaine smuggling organisation has been ordered to repay more than £2million by a court.
Convicted smuggler Brian Wright headed an international drug smuggling gang and was jailed for 30 years in April 2007, having been found guilty of conspiracy to import a controlled drug and the conspiracy to supply drugs.
At Woolwich Crown Court on Thursday, April 24, Judge Peter Moss told Wright he would serve a further 10 years if the £2.3million was not paid in full within 12 months.
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Head of restraint and confiscation unit at HM Revenue and Customs Robert Alder said: "The size of this confiscation order reflects Wright's role at the very top of a global organised crime network that lived off the misery of the countless victims. Confiscation orders like this ensure that career criminals such as Wright are denied the opportunity to profit from their crimes."
Wright, originally from the Irish republic, portrayed himself as a wealthy entrepreneur and professional gambler with an avid interest in horse racing.
His friends included many noted figures from the world of sports and entertainment.
However, in reality he was the brains behind several multi-million pound cocaine shipments to the UK.
Passing sentence, Judge Moss said: "You were a master criminal, manipulative, influential and powerful."
The investigation led to 20 convictions around the world with jail sentences totalling more than 250 years. It followed a failed smuggling attempt in September 1996, when a boat was found carrying 599kg (1,320lb) of cocaine with an estimated street value of £80million.
Over the next two years four further drug shipments were smuggled ashore.
In February 1999, officers seized 472kg (1,040lb) of cocaine from a lock-up in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, and from the farm in Laleham.
Following the arrest of several gang members Wright fled to Cyprus before being found hiding in Spain in 2005 and extradited to the UK.
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