A light aircraft, previously used by an international gang of drug dealers to fly cocaine into the county, has sold for more than £17,000 after it was listed by police on eBay.
The Zenair Zodiac CH601 UL aircraft was confiscated by officers from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit during an investigation into the organised crime gang.
It was used to fly class A drugs – which had been driven from Amsterdam to France and then packed into the light aircraft – into Northamptonshire.
The case concluded in November 2012 with the convictions of six men for a total of 37 years.
The eBay auction ended last night with the plane selling for £17,201.
The aircraft is “currently out of commission and needs considerable work before airworthiness”.
It is believed to be the first time a confiscated aircraft had been put up for sale by a police force.
However, it is not the first object confiscated from drug dealers and criminals to go under the hammer on eBay.
Leicestershire Police, which listed the aircraft, said it has sold goods worth more than £600,000 on behalf of other forces in the past.
A spokesman confirmed a number of high-value sports cars, including an Aston Martin and an Audi R8, had been sold for more than £60,000.
Other items included several Rolex watches, a replica armoured car, a skateboard and dozens of pairs of women’s designer shoes.
While car seizures from criminals are fairly common, police have confirmed the plane is a one off.
Detective Inspector Greg Maides, senior investigating officer, said: “It is relatively common to confiscate a criminal’s car, but it’s not often that we make an application to seize a plane.”
The plane was used to transport drugs into the UK, which meant it could be forfeited under the Misuse of Drugs Act.
The money made from the sale can be used for a variety of purposes, ranging from law enforcement work to community projects.
Leicestershire Police has revealed prior to the sale of the plane, the top 10 eBay sales had all been cars: -
Audi R8 - £70,000
Aston Martin DB9 - £63,100
BMW M3 - £26,500
Audi RS4 - £18,688
BMW X5 - £16,699
Mitsubishi Evolution - £15,000
Land Rover Discovery - £14,677
Audi RS4 - £14,571.
BMW M3 - £14,100
BMW X5 - £13,901
Other high value items include watches: -
Rolex - £13,100
Rolex - £10,259
Frank Muller - £6,550
Rolex - £6,000
Rolex - £3,700
CartieR - £3,360
Breitling - £2,505
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