Posing on yacht, posh drug dealer repaying £200k at just £6 a week
A DRUG smuggling kingpin was accused of laughing at the law last night after being allowed to pay back his ill-gotten gains at a rate of just £6 a week.
Tarn Bowler-Degen, 31, was the mastermind behind a huge multi-million pound cannabis ring that spanned the UK, Spain and Morocco.
The university-educated crook, originally from Kensington, west London, was jailed in 2011 for seven-and-a-half years after investigators proved his network had supplied at least a tonne of the drug.
In 2013, Bowler-Degen – who now shares a £300,000 Bristol home with his mother Caroline, 60 – was ordered to pay back £172,468.
But he was allowed to repay just £ 312 a year after his lawyers claimed he was broke. Interest at a rate of £36.99 a day has driven the balance up to £218,072. Even if no interest was added, it would still take him almost 700 years to meet his legal obligations.
The deal led investigators at the National Crime Agency to appeal for the public’s help in uncovering his suspected hidden assets.
They believe Bowler-Degen, who has been photographed relaxing on a yacht, celebrating in nightclubs and dining out with friends, is still enjoying the profits of his crimes.
One retired police expert in asset seizure said despite some highprofile successes, the case was not unusual.
‘If criminals can keep the money overseas, ideally in unco- operative jurisdictions, it can be very difficult to recoup it,’ he said. ‘But when you see the potential profits and the terms of the repayment it’s difficult to imagine this individual is not laughing.’
Bowler-Degen was jailed after admitting drug trafficking, money laundering and acquiring criminal property.
He and three other men were at the centre of a major inquiry into a drug trafficking network spanning the UK and North Africa. Investigators were surprised to discover Bowler-Degen, who attended Bristol Cathedral School and Exeter University, was the kingpin.
The well- spoken young man, who had no previous convictions, travelled regularly to Spain and Morocco and spent extended periods of time overseas.
He was linked to two brothers who distributed cannabis wholesale across the Midlands and Nottinghamshire, and an architecture student whose home was used as a headquarters.
Officials suspect the entire network was responsible for importing more than four tonnes of cannabis, amassing more than £8million in profits.
Nigel Kirby, of the National Crime Agency, said he suspected Bowler-Degen continues to have illicit financial interests.
‘We are very keen to hear from anyone who knows Bowler-Degen and who might be able to help identify any financial or business interests he has,’ he said. ‘Our appeal is backed by a court order designed to hit criminals in the pocket. It doesn’t matter how long it takes, we will keep hunting the assets and money criminals have.’
A year after the payment order was made at Kingston Crown Court, Bowler-Degen was jailed for 730 days for failing to pay.
The drug smuggler has so far paid £3,704. There was no answer at his home yesterday.