Drug lords to lose every last cent

Convicted drug barons will be stripped of almost everything they own under tough new laws – even if their riches were gained through legitimate means.

Forfeiture laws to be introduced to Victorian Parliament this week will award police new powers to freeze and sell off the assets, both declared and hidden, the Herald Sun reports.

The move will allow courts to label felons convicted of large-scale drug cultivation or trafficking as "serious drug offenders".

This will open the door for authorities to seize property without evidence linking it in the commission or purchased with the proceeds of crime.

"Any financial gain drug traffickers may have stood to make will be effectively wiped out," Attorney-General Robert Clark told the newspaper, adding nothing was safe "save for basic household goods, tools and a modestly-priced vehicle".

"Drug traffickers are peddlers of death and misery, who wreak a terrible toll on young lives across the state.

"These laws will send a strong message to would-be drug traffickers that crime will not pay in Victoria."

The profits gained from sell offs will be directed into government coffers, Mr Clark added.

Safeguards will ensure that unwitting housemates or partners in an asset are not caught up in seizures.

The reform is due to be debated in Parliament as early as this week.

Source: Herald Sun
Author: Chloe Ross, Approving editor: Simon Black