Drug dealer’s boat that stored £470,000 of high purity cocaine on river in Cambridgeshire to be auctioned off
A boat moored in Cambridgeshire that was used to store huge amounts of cocaine is to be auctioned off by police after its drug-dealing owner was ordered to repay his ill-gotten gains.
Blocks of high purity cocaine with a potential street value of £470,000, along with more than £13,000 in cash and cannabis worth £7,000, was found by investigators from the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU) when they searched the San Periel boat moored on the River Great Ouse.
Ben Cunningham, 49, formerly of Wyton Moorings, Banks End, was jailed for eight years in August 2023 for his role in a criminal network that was selling drugs across Cambridgeshire.
Detectives found that Cunningham was a local link to an organised crime group moving and selling cocaine across the UK, two other members of which were also jailed for a combined 24 years.
Specialist financial investigators from ERSOU’s economic crime unit began inquiries after Cunningham’s conviction to establish how much he had earned through his criminal actions, and concluded it was £249,456.98.
At a Cambridge Crown Court hearing last Thursday, Cunningham was ordered to repay an initial £36,514.60 – the value of the money and assets he had available,.or face additional time behind bars.
Inquiries will continue in case Cunningham comes in to more money that could be repaid.
Financial investigation manager Jemima Cholmondeley-Smith, from ERSOU, said: “After it was proven that Cunningham was involved in a criminal network buying and selling drugs on a commercial scale, it was important that we took steps to take back the money he’d made illicitly.
“Our specialist investigators then built a picture of the huge sums Cunningham was making, finding that he was living a lavish lifestyle, frequently dining out and staying in expensive hotels. He paid no regard to the damage being caused within our communities through the drugs he was profiting from.
“Using Proceeds of Crime Act legislation, we’ll continue to pursue the finances and assets of those profiting through activity such as drug dealing.”