Ayr drug dealer to stump up £20k proceeds of crime.

Sep 3 2010 by Lisa Boyle, Ayrshire Post (main ed)

THOUSANDS of pounds have been seized from a drug dealer under the proceeds of crime act.

Gary Mackie, currently serving a four year sentence, will stump up £20,000 after a ruling at the High Court in Glasgow.

Ayr man Mackie, 42, was convicted of dealing cocaine last year.

He was one of nine men arrested during Operation Salute.

Mackie’s Audi car was bugged so police could eavesdrop his phone calls.

It emerged that although he never got his hands dirty, Mackie was paid to organise couriers to deliver packages of drugs.

Since his imprisonment, prosecutors have been seeking a Confiscation Order under the Act.

And it was granted this week.

Mirian Watson, area procurator fiscal, said: “The Proceeds of Crime Act gives prosecutors the tools necessary to pursue those who seek to profit from crime whether they are involved in organised crime or, as in this case, dealing drugs.

“Working with colleagues in police and law enforcement and by using the Act to its full extent we will continue to strive to recover their unlawfully gained cash and assets and put them to good use throughout the communities of Scotland.”

During the court case, Judge Lord Brailsford was told that Mackie was never found with drugs in his possession.

But he had been heard discussing a consignment of cocaine worth £60,000 on one occasion.

And on another he was recorded talking about a three kilo package with a street value of £120,000.

Mackie told one courier: “It’s the easiest £500 you will ever make.”

Mackie of Caledonia Road, Ayr, pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cocaine between November 2007 and March last year at various places, including Glasgow car parks.

A Confiscation Order is an order made by the court following criminal conviction and is an order to pay a fixed sum of money from the proceeds of crime.

Money recovered under the Proceeds of Crime Act is invested in community projects aimed at alleviating the effects of crime.