A CONVICTED drug dealer and money launderer has been stripped of all his assets.

Andrew Lee Usher, formerly of Westerham Grove, Beechwood, Middlesbrough, was ordered by a court to hand over £71,000 of goods.

Teesside Crown Court ruled that he had illegally earned £171,060.71.

Middlesbrough Drugs Unit recovered 250gms of very high purity cocaine, with about £600, when they raided his home in March 2005.

They also recovered a pistol, together with ammunition and a stun gun.

Usher was arrested later that day and claimed that he was looking after the drugs for someone.

He admitted purchasing the pistol while on holiday and that he had found the stun gun in his partner’s car.

In September 2006, Usher was sentenced to three years and six months for the drugs offence and 18 months and 12 months for possession of the pistol and stun gun after he pleaded guilty.