Sunderland drugs boss made £320,000 before he was caught in Amsterdam

A dealer who made over £320,000 through his involvement in an international drugs ring has been ordered to pay back less than £8,000.
Stuart Mottram JrStuart Mottram Jr
Stuart Mottram Jr

Stuart Mottram jnr, who went on the run abroad after his accomplices were jailed over a £7million plot to import amphetamine into the UK, was snared after cops found a receipt for the service of a Rolex watch in his name.

He was held on a European arrrest warrant, extradited from Amsterdam by the National Crime Agency and later jailed for seven years at Newcastle Crown Court.

Liquid amphetamine seized as part of a £7million drugs import plot incolving Stuart Mottram Jnr.Liquid amphetamine seized as part of a £7million drugs import plot incolving Stuart Mottram Jnr.
Liquid amphetamine seized as part of a £7million drugs import plot incolving Stuart Mottram Jnr.
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The 47-year-old was back in the dock after prosecutors launched a bid to seize all of his assets under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

The court heard Mottram made £320,355 through his crimes but has only £7,883 available for the prosecution to take from him.

Judge Stephen Earl ordered that Mottram must hand over that amount to prosecutors within three months or face having a further six months added to his prison sentence.

Mottram is the son of notorious Wearside criminal Stuart “Benny the Brick” Mottram, who died in September 2011.

Newcastle Crown Court.Newcastle Crown Court.
Newcastle Crown Court.
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Mottram jnr had been living in the Netherlands, where he organised the drugs gang’s overseas dealings, before going on the run when his accomplices were caught and locked up in 2013.

He was snared when officers from the National Crime Agency worked with Dutch police to track down mobile phones involved in the conspiracy.

They suspected Mottram owned the phones, one of which was used to make a call in the centre of Amsterdam, around the area of the jewellers. They cross referenced the phone’s data with the name and time on a receipt at the shop.

After being extradited to the North East in 2015, Mottram pleaded guilty to conspiracy to evade the prohibition on importation of amphetamine.

Liquid amphetamine seized as part of a £7million drugs import plot incolving Stuart Mottram Jnr.Liquid amphetamine seized as part of a £7million drugs import plot incolving Stuart Mottram Jnr.
Liquid amphetamine seized as part of a £7million drugs import plot incolving Stuart Mottram Jnr.
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Before his transfer to the United Kingdom, Mottram had faced drugs charges in Spain where he was sentenced to two years and nine months behind bars, which was later suspended.

At his UK sentence hearing, the court heard the gang carried out a “sophisticated conspiracy”.

The first batch of liquid amphetamine, worth £5.28million on the streets, was found stored in six 10 litre containers in the cabin of his lorry in France. A second seizure, worth £2.04m was made at a car park in Doxford Park, Sunderland.