Jesmond drug dealer ordered to pay back more than £50k earned from crimes

A convicted street dealer who sold Class A drugs to students has been ordered to pay back over £50,000 of his ill-gotten gains.

Last week, Ieuan Phoenix appeared at Newcastle Crown Court where a judge confiscated criminal assets earned through illegal drug dealing.

Phoenix had previously been handed a two-year prison sentence, suspended for two years, after pleading guilty to a string of offences, including possession with intent to supply to cocaine, LSD and 2CB back in May.

The 26-year-old was arrested after officers watched him carry out a series of drug deals in Jesmond back in January.

Following his arrest his backpack was seized and found to contain quantities of cocaine, ketamine, 2CB, ecstasy and other illicit substances. He was also in possession of a mobile phone which held a cryptowallet containing assets worth £40,000.

A search of his home address also recovered around 1,000 pills and a substantial amount of cash.

Following his sentencing in May, financial investigators working as part of Operation Sentinel, the Force’s dedicated activity to tackling serious and organised crime, began compiling records of Phoenix’s earnings from crime.

And on September 11, a judge ruled Phoenix’s drug deals earned him a total of £178,980.

After reviewing his current assets, a confiscation order of £50,907 was granted.

Praising the continued efforts of the Force’s Financial Investigators, Detective Chief Inspector Chris Riley of Northumbria Police said: “This is a fantastic result for us and for our hard-working communities as it shows that crime will not go unpunished.

“Whatever your circumstances or motivation, selling drugs is a completely unacceptable thing to do and will land you in front of the courts.

“In Phoenix’s case, he made almost £180,000 selling illegal items sourced from the dark web to make what he thought would be easy money. However he now has a criminal record, is serving a suspended sentence, and thanks to the Proceeds of Crime Act, will pay back every penny earned.

“Our hardworking communities deserve to see action like this being taken and we will always look to strip criminals of their assets – and revisit financial orders whenever a person comes into money in the future.

“This money will now be re-invested into our communities into grassroots projects, charities and other deserving causes. It is right that no one benefits from dirty money – except the communities most affected by crime.”