Some of the bling seized from vast crime empires

SPORTS CARS, AIRCRAFT AND BITCOINS AMONG THE TRAPPINGS OF THE UNDERWORLD PUT UP FOR AUCTION

IT’S a tantalising glimpse into the world of the modern gangster, where superyachts, light aircraft and bitcoins are among the ill-gotten spoils.

The bling seized by investigators is reminiscent of high-rolling kingpins depicted on the big screen - with the exception of the virtual currency.

The vast treasure trove includes a Cessna light aircraft, 21-carat gold jewellery, designer watches, piles of gold bars and a pristine white Hummer.

A Mercedes SLS, Lamborghini and Porsche 911 are among the other high-spec vehicles that once formed part of underworld empires. Grand impressions would also once have been made with an Italian superyacht that has four spacious cabins, a galley and a saloon.

Fast-living criminals have also been deprived of designer clothes, trainers and accessories including Adidas ‘Yeezy’ sneakers, Christian Louboutin shoes and Louis Vuitton luggage.

The window into the trappings of international crime networks was opened up by Wilsons Auctions, who store, manage and put such assets under the hammer, at the Midlands Fraud Forum’s annual conference.

The event took place to a backdrop of rising fraud in Coventry and the wider West Midlands region, with the seized items showing the scale and complexity of the problem.

Wilsons, who assist West Midlands Police and the Regional Organised Crime Unit, has broken new ground in asset recovery, including auctioning a haul of bitcoins seized from drug traffickers who used the dark web for a global mail order business.

Hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of the digital currency, which leaves little trace of transactions, was put under the virtual hammer last year in the first sale of its kind by a private auction house anywhere in the world.

Seized from two drug dealers in Belgium, the 315 bitcoins were auctioned for a hammer total of £550,000 alongside more traditional loot such as watches and shoes.

The Federal Government of Belgium released the virtual currency, originally confiscated in 2015 from the criminals, after signing a contract withWilsons.

Among a long list of more old school assets put under the hammer by the British company is the superyacht, which was sold for £66,000 at an unreserved government auction in 2017.

Wilsons gave insights into its work at the conference, held at West Midlands Police’s Tally Ho centre in Birmingham on February 13.

Asset recovery director Aidan Larkin, speaking after the conference, described how “Aladdin’s caves” of riches are seized and auctioned.

He explained: “Government and law enforcement agencies around the world go to the private sector to manage and sell seized proceeds of crime assets, we hold the contacts for the National Crime Agency, the