A Brighton man who is already serving a prison sentence has now been ordered to repay £45,000 he earned from drug dealing in the city, after an inquiry by police financial experts.
Trevor Dawes, 48, of Moulsecoomb Way, Brighton, was arrested in October 2008 by Sussex Police officers who executed a drugs warrant at his address.
During the search a carrier bag containing 27.1 grams of cocaine and 8.18 grams of amphetamine was seized, along with £700 cash.
He was jailed for five years for having cocaine and amphetamine with intent to supply by a judge at Hove Crown Court on 5 June 2009.
The court refused to accept his plea that he had merely been a custodian of the drugs.
A detailed investigation by Sussex Police financial crime experts found that he had benefited significantly from his criminal activities.
Back at Hove Crown Court on Friday 25 June this year, Judge Niblett declared that Dawes had benefited from his general criminal conduct to the tune of £207.063.99.
He ordered Dawes to pay a confiscation order £45,700 within six months.
Detective Chief Inspector Ian Pollard said: “If Dawes fails to pay the confiscation order, he will face a further term of imprisonment of 18 months in addition to the current one, which will remain in force until paid.
“This ensures that he will have to pay back the profits of his criminal lifestyle.
“The money recovered from criminals like him will be redistributed back into the criminal justice system and also to community projects as part of the national ‘community payback’ scheme.
“Financial inquiries like this involve painstaking work and a lot of expertise by our colleagues, but it is important to show that we can pursue criminals for their profits even if they have gone to prison.”
