Publican Paul Clarkson, 45, was imprisoned for eight months in December 2021 at Aberdeen Sheriff Court after he admitted being concerned in the supply of controlled drugs.
Clarkson, of Aberdeen, was convicted after his mobile phone was found to contain an array of incriminating text messages that linked him to dealing drugs.
At Aberdeen Sheriff Court on Wednesday, April 17 2024, he was made subject to a confiscation order for £65,000 and given six months to pay.
Sineidin Corrins, Deputy Procurator Fiscal for Specialist Casework at the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) said:
“Following Paul Clarkson’s conviction, COPFS Proceeds of Crime Team have now ensured that the profits he made from supplying drugs have been taken away.
“This should serve as a warning to all criminals involved in supplying drugs that the Crown will not stop at prosecution. Even after a conviction, we will use Proceeds of Crime legislation to ensure illegally gained funds are confiscated.
“These funds will be added to those already gathered from Proceeds of Crime and will be re-invested in Scottish communities through the CashBack for Communities programme.”
During his criminal hearing, the court heard how police officers searched Clarkson as he left the Draft Project on Langstane Place in Aberdeen.
They found him to be in possession of a quantity of cocaine, self-seal bags commonly used for packaging controlled drugs, and a mobile phone that contained a significant number of messages “indicative of the accused being concerned in the supply of controlled drugs”.
The earliest of these messages was dated 1 April 2019.
And they showed that Clarkson had arranged to supply a number of individuals with controlled drugs and was requesting payment for drugs previously supplied.