A JUDGE has allowed police more time to investigate the overseas' assets of a convicted drug dealer.

Drugs squad officers in County Durham were yesterday granted an extra month to make inquiries into Spanish property and a bank account believed to be held by 37-year-old Thomas Davidson.

He was jailed for six years at Durham Crown Court last month after police seized drugs with a street value of £53,000, as part of a lengthy operation.

A total of 16oz of cocaine, 3,343 Ecstasy tablets and 18oz of cannabis resin were recovered from his car and premises in Copley, near Bishop Auckland, plus Davidson's home in High Northgate, Darlington, last June.

More than £23,000 was also found at his home, £19,000 of which Davidson admitted were proceeds of drug dealing.

A hearing to determine what proceeds could be stripped from Davidson was to have been heard next week, before the March 12 expiry date to seize assets under drugs trafficking regulations.

But following an appeal by prosecution barrister Ian Graham at the court yesterday, Judge Maurice Carr agreed there were exceptional circumstances due to the overseas inquiries, and extended the deadline to April 12.

Mr Graham said: "There is an on-going inquiry into the property in Spain. Inquiries have revealed a bank account in Alicante and also property in Benidorm.

"There are on-going investigations with Interpol and with the Spanish authorities which are still going on, and which will take time to be completed."

Andrew Finlay, for Davidson, objected to the deadline extension, saying that the police have had sufficient time to make inquiries.

He told the court that Davidson had previously held a Spanish bank account to pay for a rented apartment.