Cannabis grower Morris Wyper to lose £35,000 crime cash
A man who was caught with an illegal cannabis crop at his North Lanarkshire home has been ordered to hand over £35,000 under proceeds of crime laws.
Morris Wyper, 39, from Shotts, was ordered to carry out 240 hours unpaid work after the haul, worth £8,500, was discovered on 21 October 2011.
A subsequent audit revealed he could not account for £45,000 of past income.
A confiscation order for £35,000, covering his available assets, was granted at Hamilton Sheriff Court.
Procurator fiscal Lindsey Miller said: "Morris Wyper lost not only his cannabis cultivation, which could have been sold on for over £8,000, but by virtue of this conviction opened himself up to a thorough financial assessment of his past finances, whether they are linked to growing cannabis or not.
"He was unable to legally account for over £45,000 of his income in the six years prior to his arrest, and today a confiscation order has been made for the entirety of his available assets, which total £35,000.
"Should we uncover further assets in the future, we can go back to the court and seek to raise the amount of the confiscation order up to the total amount of his criminal profit."