CRIMINALS who hoard the proceeds of Crime are being warned by police that they face having their fortunes wiped out.

Detectives who head Greater Manchester Police's economic crime unit have vowed to make use of new powers to seize assets from convicted criminals.

"Members of the criminal community should understand that the days of serving your sentence and returning to benefit from your ill-gotten gains are a thing of the past," said Det Insp John Stainton.

The warning comes after a drugs gang which was smashed during an undercover police operation was ordered to pay £321,451 under the Proceeds of Crime Act, designed to stop criminals benefiting from their activities.

The gangs leader, Wayne Spencer, aged 31, was told he must pay £211,745 at Bolton Crown Court last week for his role in running the "sophisticated" operation from his home in Westhoughton, for which he received a 13-year jail sentence.

Five others were ordered to pay a total of £109,706 and one gang member had his car confiscated.

The gang was also made to pay back £24,000 for a quarter of a kilo of heroin bought by undercover police during the four-month Operation Cormorant.

Det Insp Stainton said: "This case illustrates the impact asset recovery legislation can have in ensuring that those who involved in crime do not just receive jail sentences, but that they are also stripped of any wealth they have as a result of their criminal activity."