ASSETS worth more than £28,000 were yesterday ordered to be confiscated from two North-East brothers jailed for drug dealing earlier this year.

Twenty-six-year-old David Cairns was sentenced to eight years in prison at Durham Crown Court after admitting supplying cocaine, Ecstasy and cannabis, in January.

The court heard that police kept watch for a month on the disused Tuthill Quarry, which adjoins the family's Pesspool Hall Farm, in Haswell, east Durham.

Drugs were stored in plastic bags around the former quarry and officers saw several callers coming and going during their surveillance.

David, of Christchurch Place, Peterlee, was arrested on April 14 last year at the quarry and 500g of cocaine, 4,162 of Ecstasy tablets and 1,500g of cannabis, worth an estimated £69,000, were recovered.

Later the same day, his brother, Richard, now 19, was arrested in possession of 24g of cocaine and 9g of cannabis resin.

Richard, of Pesspool Hall Farm, who admitted possession of cocaine and cannabis with intent to supply, was jailed for three years and six months.

The court was told that £4,000 was recovered from Richard's bedroom and £6,100 was found hidden in a car baby seat.

The brothers returned to court yesterday for a drug trafficking and proceeds of crime hearing to decide the amount that could be confiscated from them.

The court heard evidence that the £4,000 belonged to their father, farmer Ian Cairns, while explanations were given about amounts in the brothers' building society accounts.

But, while accepting some of the evidence about the money in the accounts, Judge Richard Lowden said there was a "fundamental improbability" that a businessman like Mr Cairns would keep his savings in his son's bedroom drawer.

He ordered that assets totalling £13,035 be confiscated from David and £13,222 from Richard.

They have six months to ensure the amounts are paid or risk extending their respective sentences by a year.