AN EDEN Valley woman whose involvement in the county's illegal drugs trade earned her more than £28,000 has been ordered to pay back her ill-gotten gains.

But Lynsey Horne's available assets amounted to a modest £600, Carlisle Crown Court was told.

Horne, 37, had earlier pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of the class B drug known as Mcat as well as converting or concealing 'criminal cash' - the proceeds from the drug dealing of Penrith man Paul Nicholson.

During a brief hearing, prosecutor Jeremy Grout Smith told Judge Nicholas Barker that the defendant, from Bolton, near Appleby, had benefitted from her crime to the tune of £28,594.

That illegal cash had been being put into her Cooperative bank account, said the prosecutor. "But the available amount [from the defendant] has been agreed to be £600," added Mr Grout-Smith.

In court, Judge Barker approved an order under the Proceeds of Crime Act which confirmed Horne's benefit from her offences and the amount she had available to hand over.

The cash will be ploughed back into crime fighting in Cumbria.

If she fails to hand over the £600 within 28 days, she is at risk of serving a seven day jail sentence in default.

It is understood that Nicholson intends to oppose a Proceeds of Crime hearing which is planned for his case.

An earlier hearing was told that his cocaine supply was thought to be “marginal” compared to his dealing in Mcat. He claimed that he was a “street dealer” in cocaine.

Nicholson, 29, of Castle Street, Penrith, had pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of the class A drug and a second count of being concerned in the supply of Mcat, which is also known as mephedrone.

Mr Grout-Smith told the earlier hearing that Nicholson told police the most cocaine he had ever bought was one kilo - which he both sold and used.

That claim contained “an element of bragging”, said the barrister.

When stopped by police, he was carrying £12,000 worth of Mcat.

Mr Grout-Smith said Horne permitted her home to be used for drug dealing and allowed her bank account to be used for laundering the money that was made from the dealing.