THE "banker" of a York heroin gang netted more than £20,000 from the illegal drug deals carried out by a family based in a residential street, a court heard.

Marguerita Jane Lee, 41, now faces an extra year in jail, on top of the three-and-a-half years she is currently serving - unless she hands over £19,000 within two months.

Part of the money will come from the proceeds of the sale of the house in Burton Green where she, her daughter Andrea Lee, 18, and her daughter's partner, Lee John Archer, 26, ran a heroin business, until police closed it down following a five-week undercover surveillance operation.

All three pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply heroin earlier this year. Tom Storey, prosecuting, told York Crown Court that the older Lee had gained £20,163.70 by her criminal activities, and had assets worth £19,266.37 that could be confiscated.

Judge David Bryant ordered that she should hand over £19,266.37 within two months as criminal profits, and that she be jailed for 12 months if she fails.

The court heard that solicitors are holding £9,000 under a court order as her share of the profits of the house sale. Her husband, Mark Lee, is to get most of the profits, following a county court case between the couple.

For Lee, Nicholas Barker said that she did not agree that she had got £20,163.70 from crime, but she could not produce evidence that she had got the money legally.

Mr Barker said the result was that she had nothing left from her hard work.

When the gang was sentenced, Geraldine Kelly, prosecuting, said that Lee had £10,900 in cash on her when she was arrested, and that police found heroin worth £18,780 on the three gang members or in and around the house in Burton Green.

At a different hearing, Archer was ordered to hand over £5,000 after the prosecution said he had netted £7,140 from his illegal activities. He is currently serving a sentence of six years and six months.

Updated: 10:21 Monday, December 20, 2004