A NORTH Yorkshire man convicted of drug dealing has been ordered to pay more than £24,000 of his illegal earnings.

Michael Andrew Osbourne, 50, of Oxcliff, Scarborough, was convicted of supplying and possession with intent to supply amphetamine sulphate in February 2012.

North Yorkshire Police’s financial investigation unit believed Osbourne had £25,076.49 which could not be accounted for through his legitimate income over the course of six years, a York Crown Court confiscation hearing heard.

The court assumed the money must have been generated through criminal activity and he was told to pay £24,111.37 – all his available assets. Last year Osbourne was sentenced to 12 months in prison suspended for 24 months and told to attend a non-residential, six-month drug rehabilitation course.

Osbourne was told to pay the amount within three months otherwise he could face prison and would still be liable to pay the money, a police spokesman said.

Det Insp Ian Wills, who heads the financial investigation unit, said: “This is a classic example of how the Proceeds of Crime Act can be used to ensure that criminals do not benefit from their crimes.”

Under the Why Should They? campaign, North Yorkshire Police use some of the cash taken from criminals in local communities.

Since its launch in 2010, the force has given £74,000 to local causes. Since 2008, North Yorkshire Police have seized about £5.5 million from criminals under the Proceeds of Crime Act. Each year a small percentage of this is given back to the force by the Home Office to invest in local communities.