Drug dealer ordered to pay back dark web cryptocurrency millions

Simon Barclay was paid for drugs supplied through the post in cryptocurrency

A drug dealer who stashed millions of pounds in cryptocurrency by supplying drugs via the dark web will be forced to hand it over to authorities.

Simon Barclay, 42, from Huddersfield, was jailed last year for selling cocaine and heroin and sending them to people across the UK in the post.

He received payment for the drugs in the form of cryptocurrency worth £5.85m at the time of his arrest

He has been ordered to pay more than £4.9m under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

It marks the largest ever seizure of cryptocurrency by West Yorkshire Police's Economic Crime Unit.

Barclay, of Cow Cliffe Road, was judged to have crypto currencies collectively worth £4,921,637 available.

It has been converted back to sterling to pay the confiscation order, police said.

'Post office drops'

Barclay's benefit figure was judged to be £7.1m, with the disparity remaining as a debt against him.

His activity came to light after his use of the dark web was monitored by the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit, which tackles serious organised crime.

Further investigations tracked Barclay making regular drops to a local post office, leading to his arrest in November 2021.

He was jailed last June after admitting possession of Class A and B drugs worth £1.2m.

He also pleaded guilty to the possession of criminal property, which was the crypto currency linked to the crime.

Ramona Senior, head of the Yorkshire and Humber regional economic and cyber crime Unit, said: "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."

Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail] or send video here.