Where did Gooch cash go?

July 13, 2009

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Colin Joyce

INVESTIGATORS are trying to work out what jailed members of the Gooch gang did with their money.

Members of the notorious south Manchester gang were convicted in April for a catalogue of offences including murder, drugs and firearm offences.

Now, an investigation under the Proceeds of Crime Act will try to work out what senior members did with the money they made from drug dealing, trading in guns and acting as underworld fixers.

Among the convicted men was self-styled 'general' Colin Joyce. The 28-year-old, who has spent most of the last decade in prison, is believed to have amassed a large amount of money from being a gangland armourer during periods of freedom.

Prison

Officers will now try to establish if he has invested the proceeds in carefully concealed business interests. The defendants also included Narada Williams, 28, of Fallowfield, and Ricardo Williams, 26, of Moston. The brothers were said at their Liverpool Crown Court trial to have made up to £2,000 a day selling drugs.

Their enterprise stretched from nightclubs to street-corner deals, and even involved 'throwovers', where drugs were hurled in modified tennis balls over prison walls. Despite this, officers investigating them before their Liverpool Crown Court trial were unable to find much evidence of 'high-living' beyond a taste for hire cars and gold jewellery.

A proceeds of crime investigation is expected to start shortly which will establish if the money was frittered away, invested back into crime, or laundered in legitimate businesses.

Wealth

"A lot of our more serious criminals find it very easy to do the time. They find it really difficult if you then take the house off them or their wife and kids because they got that by criminal means.

"Investigations into organised crime gangs whose main purpose is wealth creation tend to be easier - some of our south Manchester gangs are based on power and kudos, not necessarily wealth.

"Nevertheless, the POCA investigation is triggered automatically. We will be looking at houses, cars, holidays and jewellery. It really upsets them when they lose their nice signet."

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sotto voce, Cheshire (14/07/2009 at 10:01)

Unfortuneately the people of Manchester know that the proceeds of crime are well hidden and money well laundered. If you look at the success of the POCA over the recent past it shows that it costs far more in public money to run the investigations than the money and property it retains from the criminals.
Basically, the offenders are a step ahead and distribute their profits intelligently. The police and special police squads are unfortuneately not geared up to investigate this issue at a sufficiently high level. To be honest everyone knows this, even CS Heywood. He is delivering the party line and who can blame him for protecting his position and trying to reassure the public?

Esso Blue, Rubber Stamping Office. G. Barry, R. S. Cruz. C. Tevez (sic) It's a Done Deal. Next, Manchester (14/07/2009 at 11:20)

It is transfered through western union and money shop type transfers. there is always someone in another country waiting to accept. Send it in small doses per shop but use a number of shops per day. The best one is to open up a hair dressers, buy cheap shampoo and pretend to charge £80 per cut on the invisible man then bank it.

If you find it give it to the poor

George Roper (14/07/2009 at 11:50)

What they should do is what they do in the U.S. is presume everything is proceeds unless you can prove otherwise. Also, legal aid should not be available to defend these types of actions. Its not a good use of public money

Panzer 391, Salford (14/07/2009 at 11:53)

"some of our south Manchester gangs are based on power and kudos, not necessarily wealth." thats why that type often stab or kill people after they have mugged them, its all about status in their tiny minds.

Roadrunner, Irlam (14/07/2009 at 13:11)

They should have invested it in the banks and lost the lot...poetic justice methinks.

Rob Wilson (14/07/2009 at 13:30)

Never underestimate the other mans greed!

Bigkecks (14/07/2009 at 13:44)

Crime does quite obviously pay.....

Laura Norder, Didsbury (14/07/2009 at 15:57)

I would imagine that much of their spoils will have gone 'up their noses', as cocaine is notoriously the drug of choice - gets them 'pumped-up' and 'invincible' - for these people.

Esso Blue, Rubber Stamping Office. G. Barry, R. S. Cruz. C. Tevez (sic) It's a Done Deal. Next, Manchester (14/07/2009 at 16:42)

You can open up a takeaway that is doing nothing , buy a grand stock a day then sell the stock to a mate who as another takeaway. keep the original receipts and make it look like you are making £8000 on each days 1000 outlay. Bank it, pay a little tax and no one is any the wiser.

Esso Blue, Rubber Stamping Office. G. Barry, R. S. Cruz. C. Tevez (sic) It's a Done Deal. Next, Manchester (14/07/2009 at 16:59)

Nail Bars are another good one they use. They buy bags of cheap false nails and pretend to charge good money for applying nails and polish to hands and feet. 100 outlay can be a cover for grands a day.

Did I tell you the one about the Laundry. Car wash.

davmac, manchester (14/07/2009 at 22:11)

What George Roper says is spot on. Were these morons working? I think not. Were they signing on and claiming benefit? More than likely. So, the simple solution is to calculate what they could and could not afford on benefit and presume the rest was bought from their ill-gotten gains and confiscate the lot.

In the States, under various Federal Seizure Acts, if the FBI suspect that someone is driving around in marque car and living in a house they clearly cannot afford to own from the legitimate money they are earning, the FBI don't have to prove that ownership is legitimate, the criminals have to prove that it is. This has resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars in cash and property and bling being confiscated. Bring it on!

Growler (14/07/2009 at 22:19)

Its in an Icelandic bank !

Panzer 391, Salford (14/07/2009 at 22:21)

Yeah Kebab shops/ takeaways in abundence in every high street with no customers and Tanning shops too, Crims are making soo much money these days out of Coke the Police are chasing there own tails I bet Subaru and Mitsubishi aint doing too bad out of the Coke game with their 4wd turbos either.

Hamish Macbeth, Whitefield (14/07/2009 at 22:46)

""If you look at the success of the POCA over the recent past it shows that it costs far more in public money to run the investigations than the money and property it retains from the criminals""

True in many cases ..
But..
(1) The bulk of the money spent on investigating and prosecuting POCA cases goes on wages of cops barristers, solicitors and judges - of which between 30 and 60% is returned diectly to the treasury in tax.Not counting indirect tax of fuel said professionals spend, council tax, vat etc etc etc
(2) Sometimes this should be treated as a "loss leader". It may cost more in the short term - but it may just encourage others later to not bother making a fortune out of crime.
(3) I would rather the money went to Gordons Government and was spent on duckhouses, moatclearing and pay per view porn than lining the pockets of drug dealers and conmen (but only just!). Some people might argue there is not much difference, but drug dealers and fraudsters cause misery and hardship on people - above and beyond the similarities they have with MPs

Frequent Flyer, Altrincham (15/07/2009 at 14:37)

Det Chief Supt Steve Heywood, head of GMP's Serious Crime Division, said: "We have invested heavily in seizure teams and all our major investigations are subject to a Proceeds of Crime Act cash and asset surveys to determine whether any assets have been got by illegal means ------------ INTERESTING READING !! - DONT WASTE YOUR TIME TELLING THEM ANYTHING - A FRIEND OF MINE PUT £1MILLION ASSETS FACTS ON THE TABLE FOR THE GMP T - WHAT DID THEY DO - NOTHING !! THE CROOKS STILL HAVE THE PROCEEDS OF CRIME AND ARE NOW OUT OF JAIL LOVING IT !!- I AGREE WITH OTHER BLOGGERS HERE - THE RECOVERY - 0% !

hulme hatter, M15 (15/07/2009 at 17:00)

Its very unlikely any high level gangsters are claiming benefits. Why would they draw attention to themselves if they are living off the proceeds of the drugs game? Why risk an investigation for the sake of a few hundred quid a month when you're making thousands a week from selling drugs?

Angie33 , Manchester (15/07/2009 at 18:11)

hulme hatter.You are crediting them with more intelligence than they actually have.People who believe they are invisible?Doesnt say much about the police either.

Rob Wilson (17/07/2009 at 09:56)

I would imagine that much of their spoils will have gone 'up their noses', as cocaine is notoriously the drug of choice - gets them 'pumped-up' and 'invincible' - for these people.
Laura Norder, Didsbury

Cocaine is now the drug of choice of lots of people and I bet more money from didsbury is spent on it than from Moss Side!

Some people might argue there is not much difference, but drug dealers and fraudsters cause misery and hardship on people - above and beyond the similarities they have with MPs
Hamish Macbeth, Whitefield

Are you living in the real world? Misery and hardshiP is all around and the majority of it has nothing to do with drug dealers or fraudsters but more down to MPs and politricks! If your strong willed and quick witted, the former cant affect your life, but the latter, no matter what choices you make, always will.

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