A CONVICTED cannabis dealer from Carlisle who benefitted from his crimes by more than £145,000 has been ordered to repay £1.

A judge warned Jordan Lee Carney, 27, who has been assessed as having no reclaimable assets, that his "benefit figure" will hang over him as a debt which he may one day have to pay.

The warning was issued to Carney during a brief hearing at Carlisle Crown Court following the defendant's earlier conviction for drug crimes.

The defendant, of Ridley Road, Currock, was last year convicted of offences that included producing and supplying the Class B  drug cannabis, as well as possessing criminal property, namely £22,000.

He was given a suspended jail term.

At the proceeds of crime hearing in the crown court, Judge Nicholas Barker ruled that defendant had benefitted from his cannabis crimes to the tune of £145,639 but there were no assets available for the court to claw back.

He ruled that the drugs and other paraphernalia seized by the police should be destroyed.

The judge told Carney that he must now pay the £1 within 28 days or face the risk of serving one day in custody in default. Referring to the approved financial benefit figure, Judge Barker told the defendant: “That’s significant.

“The reason it’s significant is that, were you to come into funds at a later date, the prosecution has the capacity should they choose to recover all or part of that £145,639, so it remains hanging over you as a debt.”

In 2020, Cumbria Police went to court to apply to continue holding the £22,000 that Carney possessed after he ditched the cash into a wheelie bin while being pursued by officers.

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