THREE drug dealers jailed for a total of 12 years and eight months have been ordered to pay more than £305,000 in confiscation proceedings.

David Hugh Cameron, 60, from Poole, Iain Cameron, 34, from Poole and Nicholas Trott, 35, from Bournemouth were jailed in November last year after police discovered a cannabis factory in a garage in Dornie Road, Poole.

Further inquiries revealed a number of other cannabis factories in the Bournemouth, Poole and Ferndown areas.

Following their sentencing hearings, all three men were subject to confiscation proceedings under the Proceeds of Crime Act overseen by officers from Dorset Police’s Economic Crime Unit.

The investigation established that the total benefit figure obtained by David Cameron through his offending was £350,000 with Iain Cameron benefitting by £223,320 and Trott by £204,158.85.

At a hearing at Bournemouth Crown Court, David Cameron was ordered to pay £275,000, the majority of which is to be raised from the sale of his property portfolio.

The available amount that Iain Cameron was ordered to pay was £26,820.50 and Trott was ordered to pay £4,158.85.

David Cameron is serving a sentence of six years with the other two offenders serving three years and four months each.

If the sums are not paid David Cameron will face a further prison sentence of 30 months, Iain Cameron will face 12 months in prison and Trott 10 weeks, after which time the money will still have to be paid.

As with all Proceeds of Crime confiscation orders, the outstanding benefit figure is still owed and the case will be reviewed in the future to ascertain if the defendants have acquired further assets.

Detective Sergeant Andrew Kennard, of the Economic Crime Unit, said: "I hope this case serves as a reminder to the public that Dorset Police will use the Proceeds of Crime Act legislation to take illegal earnings from criminals at every opportunity."