Criminals in Shropshire have been hit hard in their pockets with hundreds of thousands of pounds seized from them following investigations by specialist police.

The cash was seized as part of a major operation which saw a total of £84 million seized nationally in the last financial year.

And in Shropshire Operation Wire had been hailed as a major success – with £340,000 alone recovered from just one person in the past week.

The money was seized by the Financial Investigation Branch of the Economic Crime Unit at West Mercia Police.

The operation was run last week and targeted suspected criminals who have been living beyond their means.

Nationally the cash was seized by police forces under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, which gave police the same powers as HM Revenue and Customs to seize cash and assets under civil legislation.

Under the act, criminals can have any illegally obtained money or property taken away from them.

Detective Constable Ed O’Connell and Accredited Financial Investigator Chris Battin both helped head up Operation Wire and said the week had proved a great success.

DC O’Connell said: “While the burden of proof rests on an individual to show their money or assets are not the result of criminal activity, if there is a genuine explanation then it is not difficult to evidence.

“Under the act, a person does not necessarily have to have been convicted of a crime to have their money or cash taken off them, as it comes under civil law.”

He said one recent success was the recovery of more than £340,000 from a Canadian bank account, following the conviction of Paul Rye, formerly of Belvidere Lane, Shrewsbury, who deceived people into buying pies and eggs that he falsely claimed were organic.

At a confiscation hearing in September, Rye, 47, was ordered by a judge to pay the money or face another four years in jail. The cash was returned to the public purse.

By Russell Roberts