Drug dealer told to pay back £4,300 of his ill-gotten gains

Jonathan Hunt, formerly of Rowan Bank, Halton, Lancaster, is currently serving a 20-month jail sentence.

Police raided his home last year after receiving intelligence he was dealing drugs to young people.

Cash and hundreds of pounds worth of ecstasy tablets and MDMA powder were found in his home, along with scales and equipment, during a police raid.

Last July, the 37-year-old failed to appear at Preston Crown Court for sentencing and an extensive appeal was launched to find him, including warning people in the Ribble Valley he may be attending the Beatherder music festival.

He was wanted for nearly four months until being arrested in November.

Police, who say he had boasted about being on the run on Facebook, traced Hunt to a friend’s address in Lancaster where he tried to jump out of a window and onto a balcony to evade capture, before reportedly demanding a pair of crutches and purporting to be in pain from a stomach condition.

Hunt was jailed by Preston Crown Court after pleading guilty to possession of drugs with intent to supply.

The same court has now ordered him to pay £4,300 of his assets during a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing to be paid within three months.

Today DS Martin Foley of Lancaster Police said: “A substantial amount of drugs were found at Hunt’s property.

“The proceedings send a positive message the law will catch up with criminals and they will not be able to benefit from their ill gotten gains.”