A drugs courier who dumped nearly £1m worth of cocaine during a high-speed police chase has been ordered to pay back more than £46,000 of ill-got gains.
William Paterson, 37, was jailed for five years and four months in 2024 after pleading guilty to being concerned in the supply of the class A drug, aggravated by a connection with serious organised crime.
On Monday, the High Court in Edinburgh ordered him to pay back £46,370 under the Proceeds of Crime Act as it recorded the benefit of his criminal conduct as £205,000.
The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) said the confiscation order can be revisited if further assets belonging to Paterson are identified in the future to repay the full amount.
The personal trainer, from Glasgow, was snared as part of Operation Windstriker, which focused on an organised crime group based in the west of Scotland.
Police spotted Paterson collecting a black plastic box from another man in the Springboig area of Glasgow in March 2023 and placing it in the boot of his Mercedes before driving away.
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During a high-speed pursuit, Paterson drove his car straight at an unmarked police vehicle in a bid to evade capture.
He was eventually stopped, with £6,370 in loose banknotes recovered from the vehicle. However, the black box was gone.
Officers retraced Paterson’s route during the pursuit and discovered the box – containing nine kilos of cocaine – on a residential street across from Hogganfield Loch, Glasgow.
COPFS said the street value of the cocaine was estimated to be between £719,040 and £898,000.
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After Paterson was ordered to repay thousands of ill-got gains, prosecutor Sineidin Corrins said in a statement: “This confiscation underscores the fact that prosecution of those involved in Serious Organised Crime does not stop at criminal conviction and sentencing.
“Even after that conviction was secured, the Crown pursued Proceeds of Crime action to ensure the funds William Paterson obtained illegally were confiscated.
“Confiscation orders have ongoing financial consequences, meaning the Crown can seek to recover further assets from William Paterson in the future to ensure he pays back the full amount.”
