THE son of a North-East millionaire businessman used a luxury home bought by his family as a base for a £20,000 drug dealing operation.

Frazer Goodwillie enjoyed a luxury lifestyle. The 24-year-old lived in a desirable home, drove a top-of-the-range car and had a golden future in science. A masters student from a wealthy family, he even had £20,000 in cash stashed in his bedroom.

But Newcastle Crown Court heard how Goodwillie had amassed the cash from trading in cannabis and cocaine.

As a youngster, Goodwillie became familiar to many on his native Teesside from the commercial radio advertisements in which he featured alongside his father, Ian, whose company, Court Homemakers, is a major player in the local economy.

He faces further court action which could see him stripped of every possession his trafficking brought him.

The court heard Goodwillie had returned to his family home on the Wynyard estate, near Billingham, Teesside. His parents have vowed to stand by him.

Goodwillie, of Tenth Avenue, Heaton, Newcastle, is beginning a three-and-a-half year sentence after admitted five charges of supplying cannabis, possessing cocaine with intent, two of possessing cannabis with intent and a charge of possessing ecstasy for his own use.

Police arrived to search the £185,000 house on February 9. They discovered three ecstasy tablets and £500 of cocaine hidden in his underpants. Also found were 20 bags of cannabis worth more than £1,600, three sets of scales and a batch of self-seal bags.

And, in the wall void, officers discovered £20,000 all in £20 notes. Goodwillie, who had another £1,500 in a metal box under a cupboard, was taken into custody.

Robert Adams, prosecuting, said Goodwillie delivered drugs in his Toyota RAV4.

Goodwillie told police he used cocaine himself, but would sometimes share his supply with friends. He claimed he had bought the cocaine he was caught with for £500 wholesale from a work colleague he refused to name.

"The defendant gave various estimates as to the amount he had made dealing in cannabis - from £3,500 to £5,000 - and said that was part of the £20,000 recovered from his bedroom," Mr Adams said.

Goodwillie claimed he had made the rest by letting rooms in the house.

Eric Elliott, defending, said Goodwillie had been "indulged" by his parents after they recovered from bankruptcy to rebuild their business.

But when the masters degree he started in September 2002 turned out to be "dispiriting and empty", Goodwillie feared he was letting his family down and turned to drugs.

Passing sentence, Judge Whitburn said: "Those who, like you, come from a background where you have had every advantage, will be dealt with severely when you are caught."