text: Gravesend Cannabis farm operator Michael Corcoran has to pay back £350,000 | Gravesend Reporter
  Cannabis farm crook has to pay back £350,000
  Michael Edward Corcoran
  More than £350,000 has been recovered under the Proceeds of Crime Act from a man who helped run a cannabis farm in Gravesend.
  Kent Police said financial investigators recovered the money following a successful application last week.
  The team of experts from the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate said they use legislation to ensure drug dealers, human traffickers and others caught in possession of illegally-earned funds are not allowed to enjoy the benefits.
  On May 31, the court was told Michael Corcoran had been jailed for his part in a multi-million pound cannabis conspiracy at locations across Kent and Norfolk. He was ordered to pay back more than £350,000.
  Michael Corcoran, 53, from Yalding near Maidstone, had been jailed for 14 years in July 2017 after being found guilty of seven counts of conspiracy to produce cannabis and five counts of abstracting electricity.
  He was one of 14 people convicted for running cannabis factories in Gravesend, Rochester, Sittingbourne and North Walsham in Norfolk, producing an annual yield of £25 million.
  A financial investigation into Corcoran's assets was launched following his conviction, resulting in a confiscation hearing at the Old Bailey on May 31 at which he was ordered to repay £351,822 earned through the sale of the class B drug.
  After the hearing, Det Insp Annie Clayton of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate said: "Our financial investigators go above and beyond to ensure people are not allowed to benefit from the proceeds of crime, and this fantastic outcome is testament to their hard work and dedication.
  "The Proceeds of Crime Act is an invaluable piece of legislation that means people who make an unlawful living are not allowed to continue to benefit after a criminal investigation has concluded.
  "I hope this result sends a clear message that if you have money or assets linked to illegal activity, we will find out and we will take it from you."