A CONVICTED drug dealer and former pub landlady from Ulverston has been ordered to pay just under £20,000 or face nine months in prison.

Claire Potts, 54, from Ulverston, was found to have benefited from her criminality to the tune of £19,999.91, during a hearing by the Proceeds of Crime Act.

She has three months to repay the money or endure a stint inside.

Potts, the former landlady of The Grapes, a pub in Market Street, Ulverston, which has now been converted into a gift shop, was handed a suspended jail sentence along with 220 hours of unpaid work and a curfew in March 2016 for possessing drugs with intent to supply.

It was after this sentencing that Cumbria Constabulary launched a Proceeds of Crime Act investigation.

The hearing was held on Friday January 13 at Barrow Crown Court.

Detective Constable Cheryl Smith said: “This case should make people think twice before getting involved in crime as a way to make money.

“A police investigation isn’t over when criminals are sentenced in court. We continue to tackle criminals and work hard to reclaim the money that they have gained from their crimes in order to give it back to their victims or the community they’ve affected.

“Police will continue to work very closely with partner agencies to ensure that criminals are targeted and any financial gain they make as a result of their crimes is seized.”

Potts also received a community order after being found guilty of possessing amphetamine and cannabis following a trial at Preston Crown Court in June 2013.

She initially denied possessing the Class B drugs but was later handed a six-month community order along with a curfew which prohibited her from going outdoors between 10pm and 7am for one month.

At the time of that sentencing, Mr Peter Horgan, defending, told the court that Potts’ life had deteriorated since the offence.

He said: “She was landlady of a public house and, by all accounts, was doing very well.

“This offence and conviction has led to a serious deterioration in the quality of her life. She lost her pub and for a time she was homeless. She remains unemployed and she is now living on benefits.”