A drugs courier who dumped almost £1million worth of cocaine during a high-speed police chase has been ordered to repay more than £46,000 of ill-gotten gains.
William Paterson, 37, was jailed for five years and four months in 2024 after pleading guilty to being involved in the supply of Class A drugs in connection with serious organized crime.
On Monday, the High Court in Edinburgh ordered him to pay £46,370 under the Proceeds of Crime Act after it recorded the profits of his criminal conduct as £205,000.
The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) said the confiscation order could be revisited if other assets belonging to Patterson are identified that warrant repayment of the full amount in the future.
personal trainer, from glasgowWas implicated as part of Operation Windstriker, which focused on an organized crime group based in the West scotland.
Police observed Patterson collecting a black plastic box from another man and placing it in the boot of his Mercedes before driving off in the Springboig area of Glasgow in March 2023.
During a high-speed chase, Patterson drove his car directly into an unmarked police vehicle to evade capture.
He was eventually stopped, with £6,370 in loose notes recovered from the vehicle. However, the black box was gone.
Officers traced Patterson’s route during the pursuit and discovered the box – which contained nine kilos of cocaine – on a residential street overlooking Hoganfield Loch, Glasgow.
The COPFS said the street value of the cocaine was estimated to be between £719,040 and £898,000.
Read more from Sky News:
Israel passes controversial death penalty law
Three teenagers accused of murder of girl
After Peterson was ordered to repay thousands of ill-gotten money, prosecutor Cinedine Corrins said in a statement: “This seizure underlines the fact that the prosecution of people involved in serious organized crime does not stop at criminal conviction and sentence.
“Even after that conviction was secured, the Crown took criminal proceedings to ensure that the money illegally obtained by William Patterson was confiscated.
“Confiscation orders have ongoing financial consequences, meaning the Crown may seek to recover further assets from William Paterson in the future to ensure he repays the full amount.”
