Court orders man and woman to pay back £320,000

A man and woman who were convicted of offences following an investigation into drug supply in Bristol have been told to pay back a combined total of more than £320,000.

Christopher White. 42, was jailed for 12 years in July 2022 after admitting possessing Class A drugs with intent to supply and money laundering offences.

Luci Loveridge, 50, was given a 21 month suspended prison sentence and told to carry our 180 hours of community service after a jury convicted her of possessing criminal property in July last year.

Last week, a confiscation order under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) was made in respect of both White and Loveridge at Bristol Crown Court.

The court heard White benefited from his crimes by a total of £479,203.42 and a judge subsequently ordered him to pay £258,015.76 within three months or face a further 12 months in custody.

The court heard Loveridge made £64,942.06 profit from her crime. She was ordered to pay the same amount back within three months or face an 18 month prison sentence.

Following an investigation into their available assets, officers identified the pair had more than £120,000 in equity in a house they jointly owned while White had more than £220,000 in cash.

Detective Constable Rachael Webb, a financial investigator, said: “When officers executed a warrant at White’s and Loveridge’s Hartcliffe home they found a quantity of cocaine as well as 5kg of heroin in the boot of a car and 5kg of ketamine in a garden outbuilding.

“More than £235,000 cash was also recovered during the investigation.

“This was cast-iron proof the property was being used a base to distribute dangerous drugs across Bristol and both White and Loveridge were rightly brought to justice for their respective roles.

“We can’t allow them to continue to benefit from their crimes once they’ve served their sentences which is why we have pursued their assets using the Proceeds of Crime Act.

“I hope the successful application for this POCA confiscation order sends a clear warning to everyone that crime does not pay.”