A jailed cocaine supplier caught apparently while on the way to conduct a deal in a County Durham village, has now been subject to a £12,957 confiscation order.

Joseph Fagan was sentenced to 32 months’ imprisonment at Durham Crown Court on February 17 this year after admitting a charge of possessing a class A drug with intent to supply.

It follows a police “stop” of a Volkswagen Caddy van driven by Fagan, in Wheatley Hill, in mid-afternoon, on Thursday October 6, last year.

He was signalled to pull over by police, but when he did so, he made an attempt to flee the scene on foot.

But Fagan was pursued by officers who managed to detain him.

The Northern Echo: Crime proceeds confiscation of £12,957 from cocaine dealer Joseph Fagan agreed at Durham Crown

Police then conducted a search of the van, uncovering three packets apparently containing drugs in the footwell of the vehicle.

Subsequent examination confirmed they contained cocaine with a potential sale value in the tens of thousands of pounds.

Read more: Four men jailed in separate cases before Durham Crown Court last week

The 26-year-old defendant, of Bourn Lea, Shiney Row, appeared back at the court several weeks after the sentencing hearing to have his prison term reduced by 67 days.

It was deducted to account for the time he spent on an electronically-monitored curfew tag while on bail, between arrest, charge and sentence.

The case was again before the court yesterday (Friday, September 22) following proceeds of crime inquiries into Fagan’s means and the estimated benefit he made from his drug offending.

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Fagan chose not to leave his cell at HMP Northumberland, where he is serving his sentence, to observe the hearing, via video link.

Recorder Andrew Smith said he would proceed in the defendant’s absence as he was represented at the hearing, by counsel Jane Waugh, and as the figures involved have now been accepted by all parties.

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Shaun Dryden, for the prosecution, said the agreed criminal benefit from the defendant’s offending was £98,469.46.

But the available amount of assets and cash for confiscation put at £12,957.52.

Recorder Smith, therefore, agreed to formally record those figures and said the defendant would be given three months to pay the £12,957 or risk a nine-month addition to his prison sentence in default.