Gangsters' assets to be seized by new agency

Tough powers come into force today to confiscate the criminal assets of so-called Mondeo-driving Mr Bigs who have become the apparently untouchable scourge of Britain's council estates.

Under new laws, investigators would be able to seize assets from drug dealers and gang leaders who need not have been convicted of any criminal offence, said Jane Earl, the director of the new Asset Recovery Agency.

Instead, a High Court judge will be asked to rule that cars, houses or cash have been obtained through unlawful means. Suspected criminals need have assets worth no more than £10,000 and no "visible means of support" to attract the attention of the agency.

Officials believe this will put the squeeze on criminals whose outward rewards might be nothing flashier than a new Ford Mondeo parked outside their council home.

Ms Earl, a former chief executive of Wokingham Unitary Council,said she was particularly keen to focus on drug dealers on estates.

"We will be looking to deal with the untouchables who are not being dealt with in the criminal justice system," she said. "If we can get this right then we can take some of these characters out of their local communities and help people feel good about their lives again."

Under the Proceeds of Crime Act, introduced by the Home Office, the agency will be able to issue confiscation orders through the civil courts, which require a lower standard of proof than criminal courts.

Some of her new powers have attracted criticism from civil liberties organisations. John Wadham, the director of the civil rights group Liberty, said: "These proposals will increase the likelihood of innocent people being convicted. They will not be imprisoned but they may have their home and property taken away, and they will have been convicted in the eyes of the public."