A COCAINE user, jailed for dealing in the class-A drug earlier this year, must also now pay £6,756 under proceeds of crime regulations.

The forfeiture order was made at Durham Crown Court, where Daniel Edward Yeates received the three-year sentence in April.

Twenty-four-year-old Yeates, of Eden Lane, Peterlee, admitted being concerned in the supply of cocaine and driving while under the influence of an excessive quantity of a controlled drug.

He was said to have more than 27 times the legal driving limit for cocaine in his system when police stopped him at the wheel of his BMW car, in Peterlee, on November 9 last year.

Officers found a six-gram bag of cocaine and a £10 note in the central console.

A further search at the Peterlee home of his then girlfriend led to the recovery of £2,320, a number of bags containing various quantities of the drug, plus a set of scales.

When arrested and tested for drugs, he was found to have 279mg of cocaine in a litre of blood, compared to the legal limit for driving of 10mg.

The cocaine was all said to be of high purity, between 80 and 89-per cent, much greater quality than the average for street sales.

A total of 307g of cocaine was recovered, carrying an estimated street value of £11,250.

Stephen Constantine, mitigating, said there was, “a degree of naivety” about Yeates’ activities.

He said the defendant was of previous good character and handed testimonials to the court.

The court heard he used cocaine, “in increasingly heavier amounts”, since his mid-teens, and suffered depression at times when attempting to give up the drug.

Mr Constantine said Yeates borrowed heavily to meet his addiction which led him to take the “stark choice” of becoming involved in the supply of the drug to help meet some of his debts, while funding his own use.

But, Mr Constantine added that the defendant had sought medical help and was free from the use of any drugs by the time of the sentencing hearing.

A short proceeds of crime hearing at the court this week was told the estimated benefit from his activities was £29,836, but the available amount for confiscation was £6,756.

That was made up of the money seized at the time of his arrest and the amount raised from the sale of the BMW, at auction.

Judge Christopher Prince made the orders and gave Yeates a formal three months to pay, or risk a further six-months behind bars, in default.