Members of a family-run drugs business in Peterborough have been ordered to pay more than £100,000 from profits of their illicit gains.
A Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) hearing held at Peterborough Crown Court today (Thursday) ordered husband and wife duo, Xhejni Mucaj, 31, and Christiana Sopikou, 25, to pay £109,057.31 or face a further combined 28 months in prison and still must pay the sum.
A Joint Benefit Order of £2,794,881.47 was sought in relation to the couple, along with Xhejni’s father – Bahri Mucaj – and sister – Sabina Mucaj – after they were convicted of drugs offences and money laundering last year.
The POCA hearing found Xhejni had a total of £89,693.93 in available assets, including £53,730 in cash, £20,263.93 in a bank account, two Rolex watches worth £11,000 each, a Rolex watch strap worth £700, and a personal number plate worth £4,000.
His wife’s available assets amounted to £19,363.38, including Chanel earrings, a Louis Vuitton handbag and a Mercedes.
The hearing found both Sabina, 27, and Bahri, 63, had no available assets, therefore a £1 nominal order was made.
The family-run drugs business was uncovered by detectives in 2020 after one of the family’s drugs ‘runners’ was found with seven bags of cannabis and 39 bags of cocaine in his car on the A47 in Peterborough.
Enquiries led officers to Xhejni who was arrested at his home in Hartley Avenue, Fengate, along with his wife and sister after a warrant was executed on March 25, 2021.
A warrant was carried out simultaneously at a flat occupied by Xhejni’s father in Viersen Platz, Peterborough city centre, where £50,000 in cash and up to £50,000 worth of cocaine was discovered.
Detectives also discovered a bank account used by the family, which was found to have had almost £250,000 turnover between December 2018 and February 2021 – £200,000 of which was directly attributed to drugs payments.
Xhejni was charged with being concerned in the supply of cocaine and cannabis, as well as conspiracy to conceal criminal property – namely money laundering, all of which he admitted in court.
Christiana, Sabina and Bahri were all charged with conspiracy to supply cocaine and cannabis, as well as conspiracy to conceal criminal property – namely money laundering.
Christiana admitted the offences, while Sabina and Bahri denied them but were found guilty following a trial at Peterborough Crown Court in November 2021.
On April 11 last year, all four appeared at Peterborough Crown Court where they were sentenced as follows:
Xhejni Mucaj, of Hartley Avenue, Fengate – jailed for seven years and six months
Christiana Sopikou, of Hartley Avenue, Fengate – jailed for six years and five months
Bahri Mucaj, of Oatfield Street, Glasgow – jailed for seven years
Sabina Mucaj, of Freston, Paston – jailed for nine years
Detective Constable Andy Macdonald, who investigated with support from the Regional Organised Crime Unit’s (ROCU’s) financial investigation team, said: “This was a long and complex investigation to uncover the Mucaj family’s criminal business which turned over a lot of money in a short period of time.
“Through many, many hours of investigation, we managed to take out a significant drugs line in Peterborough and put those behind it in prison for a considerable amount of time, as well as stripping them of their financial gains.”
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