Callum Zide: Sheffield drug dealer who led lavish lifestyle and earned £3m has cash confiscated

A drug dealer who police say made nearly £3million from his trade has been ordered to pay back £56,000.

Callum Zide, aged 35, of Beauchief Manor, Sheffield, was ordered to pay back £56,325 after a confiscation hearing in Sheffield, the largest such order to have been in the city during April.

Zide was sentenced last year to 17 years and six months in prison for drugs trafficking offences and conspiring to transfer criminal property. He was found to have benefited from crime to the tune of £2,789,633.03 and was ordered to hand over the available amount of £56,325 within two months.

During the same month, Ermir Esti, 37, of no fixed address, was ordered to pay back £41,027.73 that a court found he had made from drug trafficking offences.

Esti had been sentenced to 21 months in prison for drug trafficking offences and possession of criminal property. He was ordered to pay the money back immediately.

South Yorkshire Police say they were among a number of cases that were taken up by the force’s financial crime investigation unit, which officers say ensure that offenders give back to communities through the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) and Civil Forfeiture Orders.

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The POCA and forfeiture orders are issued after officers look at how much a criminal has benefited from crime. This is assessed through looking at money in their bank accounts, what assets they have in their name, such as houses and cars, and if they own any luxury items, such as designer clothing, shoes and bags.

If individuals are found to be making money out of crime in the future, they can face further action.

Over the course of April and May 2024, a total of £195,539 was ordered to be paid back through POCA orders and Civil Forfeiture Orders.

That money then gets paid back into the criminal justice system, with some of it to the police, who use it for funding grant programmes and officer training.

Financial Investigator Laura Hough, Head of Asset Recovery, said: “We see first-hand the damage criminality causes to communities here in South Yorkshire. It’s very often that innocent members of the public are impacted greatly and are left to live through the havoc left when criminals are put behind bars.

“Ensuring that resources are put in place to help build back a sense of community provides great motivation for me and my team.

“Zide and Esti are two examples of cases where a substantial amount of money gained through illegal criminal activity has funded a lavish lifestyle. However, we ensure that these criminals don’t continue to benefit and live a life of luxury, ordering them to pay back what is found to be available to them.

“The work we complete relies on the support and intel submitted by you, the members of our communities. Have you noticed someone starting to wear designer clothes? Or have they suddenly got a new car and you think that something doesn’t seem quite right? They might be involved in criminal activity or buying these items through illegal cash.”