A CONVICTED drug dealer has had £168,000 confiscated from his bank account after thousands of pounds in cash was discovered stuffed inside the leg of a table.

The seizure is the biggest ever carried out by Northumbria Police under the Proceeds of Crime Act, and follows a lengthy probe by financial investigators from the force's economic crime unit.

Thomas Wyatt, 40, from Holborn Road, Sunderland, was jailed for three years after admitting supplying drugs at an earlier hearing. He was sentenced to a further two years for money laundering.

Wyatt was arrested last September following an intelligence-led operation by Sunderland police. On searching his home, officers discovered a quantity of amphetamine sulphate and £18,000 in cash - £15,000 of which was hidden in the leg of a dining room table.

Economic crime officers spent several months examining Wyatt's finances and bank records, which were to play a significant role in the court case.

Detective Sergeant Colin McCrudden said: "This case shows we will not hesitate to use this legislation to target drug dealers.

"Not only has Wyatt received a custodial sentence but he has also lost money he had accumulated through crime.

"This was a very satisfying result and sends a clear message to those dealing in the misery of drugs in Sunderland."