More than £70,000 discovered in a suspicious car in Dartford will shared by the government and police.

Last year, on December 28, police in Swainsland Road noticed a parked red Audi A4 with two men inside.

The pair were acting suspiciously and were seen to leave the vehicle on foot, heading towards Stanham Road.

Following further investigation of the vehicle, a canvas-type bag was discovered in the footwell of the front passenger seat. 

From the outside of the Audi, it was clear the bag contained a large quantity of cash.

The local area was searched for the two men seen in the vehicle, but they were not located. 

Officers gained entry to the car and found neatly folded cash bundles of £5,000. 

In total, £73,920 was seized. The red Audi was also seized.

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Police traced the vehicle owner, who lived in Lewisham, and he said he had lent his car to a friend and had been trying to get hold of him all day to get it back. 

Further enquiries failed to locate the friend.

This Monday (April 27), Kent Police applied for a forfeiture order under the Proceeds of Crime Act totalling £73,920.

Detective Chief Inspector Kevin Barton, from the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, said: "We will continue to use the Proceeds of Crime Act to claim money back from criminal enterprises.

"In this particular incident, officers have noticed suspicious behaviour, a suspicious vehicle with a significant quantity of cash inside. 

"No one came forward to claim the money back, despite extensive police enquiries."

Under the Proceeds of Crime Act, the money, believed to be the proceeds of crime or intended for use in crime, will be shared equally between the government and Kent Police.