A HEREFORD man has been ordered to pay a huge sum back or face more time in prison.

 In June 2022, officers stopped Brian Gough in his car and found the 67-year-old in possession of cocaine and amphetamine.

West Mercia Police said a warrant was issued at his home address in Laburnum Grove, Hereford, where officers recovered drugs with a street value of £24,390 and drugs paraphernalia.

Gough, of Laburnum Grove, was sent by Hereford magistrates to the crown court for sentencing in 2023 after he entered guilty pleas to two counts of possessing a class B controlled drug with intent to supply and one count of possessing a class A controlled drug with intent to supply.

The court at the time heard from prosecutor Eleanor Peart that he had been in possession of quantities of class A controlled drug cocaine and class B controlled drugs cannabis and amphetamine with intent to supply it in Hereford on June 21.

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Gough was sentenced to three years for possession with intent to supply class A drugs, two years and eight months for possession and intent to supply class B drugs, and 10 months for possession and intent to supply amphetamine, with the sentences running concurrently.

At a POCA hearing at Worcester Crown Court on August 9, Gough was instructed to pay back £172,653.75, believed to be the proceeds of his crime. If he does not pay back the money he will be sentenced to a further three years.

Detective inspector Dan Fenn said, “It’s incredibly rewarding to see the impact the Proceeds of Crime Act has on those who make money from crime.

“POCA allows us not only to bring criminals to justice but also strip them of the financial gains they made from their illegal activities.

“Crime does not pay as West Mercia Police will proactively target those who are illegally benefiting from crime. Our goal is to send a clear message: crime will not be tolerated.”