Hristo Chenchev, 48, of Churchbury Road in Enfield, was given a two-year suspended sentence for his role in the operation which saw tractors stolen from farms in Oxfordshire and smuggled to Bulgaria.
A Thames Valley Police investigation revealed Chenchev was involved with a local crime group which had been stealing tractors between April and May 2020.
Chenchev was arrested when police attended a report that a group of men were attempting to load stolen tractors onto the back of foreign lorries.
He later pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to conceal, disguise, convert, transfer and remove criminal property from the country.
Chenchev was then subject of a Proceeds of Crime Act investigation and on Christmas Eve he was ordered to pay a total of £873,852.48 over a three-month period.
Senior financial investigator Lucy Flynn, of the north asset recovery team, said: “I am pleased that Chenchev has been ordered to pay back this substantial amount of money.
“The group which he conspired with, was responsible for the theft of a large number of high value tractors in the Oxfordshire area and local rural communities and their businesses suffered a loss due to the thefts”
“This case shows that if you involve yourself in this sort of criminality you can expect to not only be prosecuted, but also that you will have to pay back a significant amount of money.”
