Edinburgh cocaine and ecstasy dealer who once abused England rugby coach Eddie Jones agrees to settle proceeds of crime action

A drug trafficker who escaped with a fine after abusing England rugby coach Eddie Jones has agreed to hand over £4,450 to settle a proceeds of crime action.

Dale Cleeton, 28, was jailed for 45 months earlier this year after police found two kilos of cocaine in a badly parked car.

The drugs were discovered after a member of the public contacted police to complain about the Peugeot blocking access to an entranceway at an Edinburgh street.

Arrangements were made to move the vehicle "for road traffic reasons" but police were granted a search warrant and two kilos of high purity cocaine were recovered.

Dale Cleeton.

Cleeton, formerly of Sinclair Place, Edinburgh, admitted being concerned in the supply of cocaine between March 2018 and February in 2019. He also pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of ecstasy during the same period.

The Crown raised an action to seize crime profits from Cleeton and a judge at the High Court in Edinburgh was told on Monday that a settlement has been reached.

Lord Armstrong was told that it was agreed that Cleeton had benefited from criminal conduct by £78,275 and that a confiscation order should be made for £4,450.

The find of the haul of high purity cocaine, worth £200,000, came after Cleeton was put under surveillance by police during November 2018. He was seen to drive a white van into Westfield Street, in Edinburgh, where he was met by an accomplice who put a cardboard box in the vehicle.

Cleeton, a plasterer, drove the van along the street and stopped next to the Peugeot and transferred the box to the boit of the car.

Following the removal of the badly parked Peugeot Cleeton was observed making enquiries trying to trace the vehicle.

Police had previously searched an address in South Queensferry in March 2018 which was occupied by Cleeton at the time and recovered £350 worth of ecstasy and £3,600 of cocaine along with 15 kilos of benzocaine, which can be used to bulk out cocaine.

They also discovered scales and a money counting machine.

Officers carried out a further search of his flat in Sinclair Place in February in 2019 and found £15,000 worth of ecstasy and £40,000 of cocaine, along with cash.

Cleeton was previously fined £54 by a magistrates' court in Manchester in August 2018 after he and others were abusive to the England coach following a Scottish victory against England in the Six Nations.

During the incident at Manchester Oxford Road railway station Mr Jones was called a "baldy c***".

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