Organiser of west Kent cocaine gang must repay nearly £50,000

The main organiser of a cocaine supply network targeting users in west Kent has been ordered to pay back nearly £50,000.

Nelson Aliaj was jailed for 15 years in June 2019 after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply class A drugs, with nine other members of the same organised crime group also imprisoned.

The London-based gang had been using one specific mobile phone to market cocaine to people living in Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells, where Aliaj and others were proven to have purchased top-up vouchers for the handset.

Evidence was also obtained that Aliaj, 31, had been using a flat in Deptford where the phone was located.

Confiscation order

Financial investigators continued to assess Aliaj’s finances following his imprisonment and applied for a confiscation order on the grounds he had hidden assets in Albania including property, land and vehicles.

The order was granted at Canterbury Crown Court on Friday 13 January 2023 and Aliaj must now pay £48,658 within the next three months. If he fails to do so then he will have a further 18 months added to his prison sentence and will still have to pay.

Detective Inspector David Godfrey of the Economic Crime Unit said:

‘The Proceeds of Crime Act is a very useful piece of legislation that ensures criminals like Nelson Aliaj are not allowed to keep the assets earned from their illegal activity. ‘It also means we can continue to seize cash and property from offenders in the future if we believe they earned more than the assets they currently have available. We will therefore continue to keep a close eye on Aliaj’s finances when he is eventually released from prison to ensure he cannot continue to reap the benefits of his criminal deeds.’