An Istead Rise man jailed for growing cannabis has been forced to pay £50,000 to Kent Police and the government.

Jason Dore, aged 46, of Lewis Road, was sentenced to two years in prison at Maidstone Crown Court on October 30 last year after pleading guilty to producing cannabis and abstracting electricity.

Kent Police used the Proceeds of Crime Act to impose a court order forcing Dore to return £54,925.81.

The confiscation hearing was heard at the same court on June 9 where the amount was agreed based on Dore’s available assets.

Dore was arrested in February last year after officers seized 90 plants, equipment and £1,200 in cash from his garage - part of which had been transformed into a cannabis farm.

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They also found that more than £1,600 worth of electricity had been taken from another bill payer.

Detective Chief Inspector Kevin Barton, of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, said: "The Proceeds of Crime Act is used to claim back money that offenders have benefited from their crimes.

"Dore had gained thousands of pounds from producing cannabis and this confiscation order means he’ll lose the assets he had gained from his crime.

"I hope this result sends a strong message to others that crime does not pay."

A Kent Police spokesman said: "The money will be shared equally between the government and Kent Police, and will further enhance the force’s capability to tackle crime and keep the communities of Kent safe."