A drug dealer who made £500,000 from his illicit enterprise has been back in court to have his assets seized.

Michael Collins was initially arrested in August 2017 when he was caught with high-grade cocaine and amphetamine.

The 61-year-old was arrested again the following month when he was found with almost £10,000 in cash and more high-purity cocaine.

When he appeared over a video link at Teesside Crown Court he accepted that he had benefited to by half a million pounds during a proceeds of crime confiscation hearing.

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The judge heard how Collins had £11,000 in realisable assets and he was ordered to pay it within three months or serve another six months in jail in default.

Cleveland Police seized more than £100,000 in drugs when they raided his former home in Hartlepool and a pub in Port Clarence in which he had an interest, said prosecutor Paul Abrahams.

He said that the agreed total benefit to Collins was £496,090 made up from £431, 605 from the case at Teesside Crown Court last September, and benefit of £64, 484 which was outstanding from an earlier drugs conviction at Newcastle Crown Court.

The Northern Echo:

Collins, of Crosby Terrace, Port Clarence, had been convicted of supplying Class A, B and C drugs and possession of criminal property of £10,000 cash between 2017 and 2021.

Last September, the court heard that Collins was arrested three times 2021 for another raft of drug-related offences, all committed while he was under investigation for the 2017 charges.

Collins was arrested in February, March and May, after he was caught cocaine, amphetamine and a large quantity of prescription drugs as well scales, mobile phones and a ‘tick’ list.

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At his earlier sentencing hearing, Martin Scarborough, in mitigation, said his client’s problems stem from a debt he owed following a fraud involving cigarettes seized at sea and as a result he had his throat slashed while in prison for the kidnap and blackmail offences.

He added: “Those debts were still outstanding and, in a nutshell, that was the motivation behind this offending.”

Recorder David Gordon sentenced Collins to a total of seven years and four months for all offences.