Almost £300,000 will be reclaimed from a Wickford drug dealer after a confiscation order was made at Basildon Crown Court under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

Luke Connor, 28, of Riverside Place, Wickford, was first charged with possession with intent to supply class A drugs, possession of criminal property, possession of a prohibited weapon and possession of cannabis in July 2021.

Connor admitted all charges and was sentenced to a total of eight years on 28 February 2022.

A search of his home led to the discovery of £140,000 in cash, and in the boot of Connor's Audi was a 'bag for life' with another £80,000.

Now, after a confiscation order was made at Basildon Crown Court on Thursday 13 July 2023, Connor will have to repay £283,684, and has 3 months to do so or face an additional five-year custodial sentence at the end of which he would still owe the money.

Detective Inspector Alison Hooper, of the Serious Economic Crime Unit, said: "The economic impact of Connor's crimes can't be underestimated.

"Hundreds of thousands of pounds in criminal proceeds were found in his home – confiscating this disrupts the cashflow of organised crime and sees Connor denied the designer goods and car he had funded with drug dealing.

"This is a fantastic result for our financial investigators who have worked tirelessly throughout this case to make sure these assets end in the possession of the police. Crime will not pay in Essex."