A FORMER personal instructor jailed for dealing ecstasy has been ordered to hand over money he made from drug dealing.

Ricky Dupon was locked up last November and was back in Cardiff Crown Court for his Proceeds of Crime Act hearing.

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James Evans, prosecuting, said the Newport drug trafficker made £8,180.29 from crime and had £4,020.29 which could be seized by the police.

Dupon, from Newport, was told by Judge Wayne Beard he has 12 weeks to transfer the cash or face an extra three months in prison.

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An application for a serious crime prevention order against the defendant was rejected.

The 28-year-old defendant, of Chaffinch Way, Duffryn, was jailed for 40 months in 2020.

He was caught with 723.5g of cannabis, 10.34g of ecstasy and etizolam, a potent form of Valium dubbed the ‘blue plague’.

His sentencing hearing in the autumn heard how Dupon was released from prison last May after being jailed in 2019 for possession with intent to supply ecstasy.

Mr Evans, prosecuting, said: “At 5am on October 5, the police executed a drugs warrant at the defendant’s address and he threw a bag out of the window.”

Officers also found cash, an electric bike and a Voodoo bicycle worth around £5,000.

The defendant admitted possession of amphetamine, cannabis and etizolam

He also pleaded guilty to possession of criminal property.

Scott Bowen, representing Dupon, told how his client fell back into old habits when he was unable to find a job following his release from custody.

He said: “The defendant sought to obtain employment but found it difficult because of his previous convictions and he reverted to type.”

Mr Bowen added how Dupon was trying to support his young family: “He wasn’t living a lavish lifestyle with sports cars and Rolex watches.

“His greatest mitigation are his early guilty pleas.”

The judge, Recorder Dyfed Llion Thomas, told Dupon: “You tried to conceal evidence by throwing cannabis out of the window.

“You did seek to find employment but you found it hard because of your record.

“It’s a bit of a vicious circle.

“Class A drugs are a malign influence and do great harm to our communities.

“You were part of that process.”