MONEY seized from a man charged with possessing cannabis is to be used to help people in Hull who are recovering from alcohol and drug problems.
The Rehabilitation for Addicted Prisoners Trust (RAPt) and Crime Reduction Initiatives (CRI) have been awarded more than £1,500 each after £3,147 was held under cash seizure proceedings.
David Leylan Hogg, 49, appeared at Hull Crown Court for possession of cannabis with intent to supply and was sentenced to 42 months in prison.
The judge in the case in September last year said the money seized should be given to local drugs charities.
Detective Chief Inspector Dave Houchin, of Humberside Police, said: "Drug dealers make large sums of money with scant regard for the misery they cause.
"Most of us work hard, pay our taxes and contribute to society and ordering bad money to be used for good in this way really hits the criminals where it hurts and goes some way to redress the balance.
"The link between drug use and criminality is well known.
"Treatment agencies are instrumental in our partnership approach to reducing crime in the long term and this money helps them in that process."
The funds will be used by both organisations to help people in Hull who are recovering from alcohol and drug problems.
At RAPt, the funding will go directly to their Graduate Support Fund, while CRI will be directing the money to their Recovery Fund at their drug intervention programme facility in Hull.
Chloe Whittall, service manager for the programme, said: "This fund gives us a fantastic opportunity to respond to the needs of service users who have already taken positive steps to change their lives.
"Some of the ways this funding has been used in the past include buying a bicycle for a service user to get into work, or paying for ID so they can register for housing.
"It helps remove barriers and provide opportunities that make a real difference to individuals and their families."
Each of the projects is aimed at people who have graduated from substance misuse programmes and are based in and around Hull.
Types of assistance typically provided by both funds include payment for educational courses, equipment for vocational training schemes and security deposits for housing.
CRI and RAPt have worked together to assist service users on their road to recovery since early 2011 and have just been awarded the Criminal Justice Substance misuse contract for Hull.
The contract will see a new end-to-end service, which offers a comprehensive range of interventions and structured programmes to support service users to achieve long-term recovery.
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