Buchanan amassed a fortune through his evil drugs trade while claiming unemployment benefit

Partick Thistle's Liam Buchanan, 22, was forced to hand over the sporty s15,000Mini Cooper as it was bought with his father George's heroin cash. A Court of Session judge branded the First Division's leading scorer and his family liars over their far-fetched account of where the cash for a fleet of luxury cars came from as he ordered that assets of s200,000, including the Mini, could be confiscated. Ex-bodybuilder Buchanan snr, 50, known as Dode, managed to gather riches of at least s500,000, despite claiming benefits. He claimed his footballer son had bought the Mini Cooper despite tax returns showing he earned less than s7000 a year while playing at Cowdenbeath. Buchanan jnr now faces an investigation by the Inland Revenue for alleged tax evasion. The cars were seized during a raid by cops in conjunction with the Civil Recovery Unit of the Crown Office. As well as the Mini, there was a Mercedes C200 registered to Dode's wife Marie and a Ford Focus supposedly paid for by their daughter Lisa-Marie. The drug dealer signed on the dole as he drove around in a s40,000 Range Rover, with the registration DDD 74, which was also seized. The court ruling also means Buchanan snr could be forced to sell his s340,000 home in Gilberstoun, Edinburgh, as a large part of the value is deemed to have come from heroin deals. The ruling in the Court of Session last week was a landmark as it was the first time assets held in the names of family members were seized when the Crown pursued a crime Mr Big. Buchanan, who has previously served jail terms for drug offences, walked free from court on heroin trafficking charges three years ago after a not proven verdict. But officials then set their sights on his dirty money. Buchanan snr produced a barrage of lies to account for his wealth, claiming he had been given huge cash sums as gifts and that his wife and kids had somehow paid for the lavish lifestyle. In his Proceeds of Crime ruling, judge Lord Penrose said: "Mr Buchanan's income from legitimate sources was wholly insufficient to finance any but a basic lifestyle. He was on benefits at all times when not in prison. "I consider on the evidence that he purchased high-value cars to recycle or launder the proceeds of his dealing in controlled drugs.
"Nothing in the present proceedings has persuaded me that conclusion was incorrect."
Liam proved he had scant regard for the death and misery caused by heroin dealing when he battled to keep his flashy car in court. Lord Penrose found that Liam Buchanan had only declared earnings of s6432 in 2004-5, yet his father had told Crown investigators his son earned s30,000. The judge added in his formal opinion: "If Liam Buchanan has had a consistent income of s30,000 per annum for some time, of which the Revenue have notice of s6432, he has more to fear from investigation by HM Customs and Revenue (which must now follow) than from these proceedings." Buchanan jnr hit the headlines this week when his two goals knocked Dunfermline out of the Scottish Cup. He has scored 11 league goals this season. He has been linked with a move to Hibs, whom he has supported since he was a boy, but sources at Easter Road believe such a glory move could be torpedoed by his dad's reputation. When the Record spoke to him yesterday, he admitted his car had been seized. He then changed tack and claimed he was unaware of any court appearances or stories in newspapers concerning his crooked dad. He said: "I don't know about any of this. You'd better speak to him."


Buchanan, 50, made legal history in the case by being the first criminal to launch a legal battle against a Proceeds of Crime Act seizure. He brought the case after he walked free from drug trafficking charges last year on a not proven verdict. He is now likely to face legal costs of up to £50,000, as well as being forced to sell his Edinburgh home to pay off the state. Angiolini hailed the decision by Lord Penrose, saying: "This shows that even where criminal assets are transferred into the names of family members, evidence can be placed before the court that will lead to these assets being recovered." The Record told last year how convicted heroin dealer Buchanan, 50, was launching a bid to keep his fleet of cars, including a £40,000 Range Rover and £30,000 Mercedes C200K. Buchanan's wife and children each claimed to have paid for the vehicles, despite having no means to cover the huge cost. Ex-bodybuilder Buchanan amassed a fortune through his evil drugs trade while claiming unemployment benefit. His wife Marie claimed to work for a travel agency, although no tax records could be found. Son Liam claimed to earn £25,000 as a plumber and another £5000 playing professional football for Cowdenbeath. But the court heard that these alleged earnings had not been declared to the Inland Revenue. Prosecutors had applied to confiscate £430,000 but the judge ruled they had not proved all of it had come from crime. Buchanan, who has previously served a jail sentence for his involvement in a huge heroin haul, claimed much of the cash came from relatives as well as rent from students who lodged at his home.
In his decision, the judge described Buchanan "a dealer in controlled drugs".
Since the Proceeds of Crime Act came into effect in 2004, almost £5.7million has been grabbed from drug dealers, fraudsters and other crooks.