Criminal's art collection seized

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A convicted drug trafficker will part with his art collection to pay for a proceeds of crime seizure.

Glaswegian Robert Wright, 45, will lose an oil painting by leading Scottish artist Peter Howson, along with works by the Scots painter Frank McFadden.

Wright is currently serving an eight-year jail sentence after he was caught with heroin which had a potential street value of £2.88m.

The judge, Lord Eassie, agreed to make a confiscation order for £20,000.

Advocate depute Barry Divers asked the court to record the proceeds of Wright's general criminal conduct at more than £2.7m.

The High Court in Edinburgh heard that seven pictures by Frank McFadden will be sold at auction, along with Wright's collection of watches.

Also included in Wright's assets is an oil painting by Peter Howson titled "Study for the opera Don Giovanni".

More than £7,000 in cash will also be taken.

However that figure may vary, depending on how much the valuables make.

The money and goods will be seized under the Proceeds of Crime Act, which allows the authorities to take assets linked to illegal activity.

A oil painting by the famous Scottish artist Peter Howson will be seized

Wright was jailed after being caught last year with a portion of one of the biggest heroin hauls ever recovered by Scottish police in Glasgow.

However, the £2.88m seizure was a fraction of £10.5m consignment later found at the city's Fruit Market at Blochairn.

Wright's counsel Mark Moir told the court that there was "a bit of guesswork" involved in the valuation of the assets as it was difficult to accurately assess what they would achieve.

Mr Moir told the court during a brief hearing: "The intention is they will be put into an auction house."

He said the way of dealing with the confiscation action in Wright's case was thought to be "more economic to the public purse".

Mr Moir said Wright was not due for release from prison until 2012 and asked for six months to allow the process to be completed to meet the confiscation order.

Wright had previously been jailed in 2003 for four and a half years for a drugs offence.

At the time of his latest crime he was described as unemployed and receiving state benefits.