Convicted drugs trader loses profits
6 December 2011
An international criminal currently serving a 28-year prison sentence for trafficking more than a tonne of Class A and Class B drugs was today ordered to hand over more than £800,000 in illicit profits.
His Honour Judge Spittle, sitting at Teesside Crown Court, granted the Confiscation Order against Edward Robert Jarvis, who is 46 and from Liverpool. The assets at risk if Jarvis pays up include:
- A seven-bedroom mansion in Liverpool
- A villa in Estepona, near Marbella, Spain
- High-value jewellery
- Money held in the bank accounts of family members and business associates
The £800,567 Confiscation Order is in addition to one of £478,453 granted against Jarvis after previous convictions for money laundering and tax evasion.
Edward Jarvis was jailed in 2005 for masterminding a plan to traffick 593kgs of cocaine, which was foiled after the drugs were seized from a yacht on the island of Margarita, off the coast of Venezuela.
Investigators found that he had travelled to a number of countries to oversee arrangements for the shipment of the drugs to Europe, and wired money to the yacht’s crew members under an alias.
He was also convicted of involvement in a criminal plot to trade 200kgs of amphetamine and 238kg of cannabis, which was thwarted by Dutch authorities in 1998. Jarvis had evaded capure at that time, while his accomplices were arrested and subsequently jailed in the Netherlands.
Edward Jarvis will have another two years added to his prison sentence if he fails to meet the terms of the Order, and would still be liable for the money.
The court also ruled that he be made subject to a Financial Reporting Order, which compels him to provide information on any significant income, assets or expenditure for a period of 15 years.
SOCA’s regional Head of Investigations, Steve Baldwin, said:
“We know that convicted organised criminals fear losing the fruits of their illegal labours at least as much as they fear spending years behind bars. Confiscation Orders like these should serve as a deterrent to anyone involved in organised crime who thinks that a life of luxury awaits.”
Edward Jarvis’ wife, Alison, pleaded guilty to possessing criminal property in January 2011. She had spent thousands of pounds generated by her husband’s criminal exploits, and was last week made subject to a Confiscation Order of £5024.
Specialist Prosecutor Jane Hart, speaking from the Proceeds of Crime Unit at the CPS headquarters office, said:
“The making of this £800,567 confiscation order brings to a successful conclusion the Crown’s efforts to deprive Mr Jarvis and his wife of their proceeds of crime.
“This follows an earlier order against Mr Jarvis on the 27 November 2003 at Preston Crown Court, when he was convicted of money laundering and ordered to pay £478,453. This makes a total of more than £1.2m in confiscation orders against him.
"Furthermore, on the 28 November 2011 at Liverpool Crown Court Mrs Jarvis was ordered to pay the sum of £5,024.
“In the event that the CPS identifies further assets being held by Mr or Mrs Jarvis, the matter can be referred back to the court with a view to increasing the amounts payable.”
More information on SOCA’s asset recovery work can be found here.