Yorkshire drug dealer who stashed millions in crypto-currency forced to pay back £5m

Simon Barclay, 42, had almost £5m worth of crypto-currency hidden away but has been ordered to pay back more than £7m under the Proceeds of Crime Act. Barclay, formerly of Cow Cliffe Road in Huddersfield, was judged to have crypto currencies collectively worth £4,921,637 available, and this has already been converted back to fiat currency (Great British Pounds) to pay the confiscation order.

The seizure of his crypto-currency is the largest of its kind ever carried out by West Yorkshire Police’s Economic Crime Unit, after Barclay was convicted for drug dealing offences in 2022.

He was jailed for nine years at Leeds Crown Court last year after pleading guilty to offences including the possession of Class A and B drugs including £1.2-million of cocaine as well as heroin. He also pleaded guilty to the possession of criminal property (money laundering) which was the crypto currency linked to the crime.

His criminal activity came to light when his use of the dark web was monitored by police, who also found he had made regular drops to a local post office from addresses linked to him. A search of his properties and computer equipment led officers to recover the drugs and crypto currency.

DCI Lee Townley, head of the force’s Economic Crime Unit, said: ”This confiscation is the largest cryptocurrency seizure to date by West Yorkshire Police. This very large seizure makes plain that no matter how criminals try to conceal their ill-gotten gains, we have the specialist investigators in West Yorkshire to deal with it.”

“Barclay’s offending, distributing Class A drugs into our communities, is a deplorable offence which preys on the most vulnerable in our society. Barclay has made huge sums of money from these offences whilst the hard working and law abiding public are struggling to make ends meet.

“Most criminals are committing offences to generate money quickly. West Yorkshire Police’s Economic Crime Unit is dedicated to ensuring crime does not pay. We remain absolutely determined to ensure that those who seek to financially benefit from crime are left with nothing to show for it other than a prison sentence.”

Ramona Senior, head of the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Economic and Cyber Crime Unit, said: “This multi million pound confiscation from Barclay marks the final stage in what has been a true partnership investigation by agencies across the UK to dismantle a sophisticated drugs enterprise.

“Barclay used 21st century technology to run his large scale drugs supply network. Ironically though, it was his attempts to stay hidden by using the dark web which brought him to our attention. The Regional Cyber Crime Unit works with the National Crime Agency (NCA) and local forces to target online criminality and bring to the surface methods of communication that those involved in crime would rather stay hidden and anonymous.

“This case demonstrates the specialist capabilities operating within the YH ROCU protecting our communities from the threat of Serious and Organised Crime. This investigation is another example of how regional and national partners can support local investigations.

“The scale of the order made against Barclay should serve as a deterrent to others involved in similar activities.”