A man arrested for hanging around cars has been ordered to hand over £80,000 after police stumbled upon a drug factory in his home.

Officers only detained Graeme Craig MacDonald because they thought he was planning to break into vehicles parked at Iceland in Worthing town centre.

But when they searched the 36-year-old they found cannabis on him.

And during a search of his home in Meadow Road in the town police found more of the drug along with drug equipment and 34 cannabis plants growing in one of his rooms.

They also discovered a drug list in a diary, mobile telephones and bank account statements during the search in August 2007.

MacDonald has now been ordered by a court to forfeit £79,180 that police estimate he has made from selling the drug or face spending two years in jail.

He was convicted at Chichester Crown Court in January last year of possessing cannabis with intent to supply as well as cultivating the drug.

MacDonald was sentenced to a 12-month supervision order which included carrying out unpaid work in the community.

During the police investigation into his finances officers calculated he had profited by almost £80,000 from dealing the drug.

Detailed analysis of his bank accounts showed that over a six-year period he had access to sums of cash far in excess of his legal income.

MacDonald was back in court for the Proceeds of Crime application by police for his profits from crime to be seized.

At Chichester Crown Court the Crown Prosecution Service was granted a benefit order for the full amount.

MacDonald was given 90 days to clear the debt or face two years in jail.

He was also ordered to pay £500 towards prosecution costs.

A Sussex Police spokesman said: "This prosecution devolved from a painstaking analysis of bank accounts held by MacDonald and showed he had access over a six year period to sums of cash far in excess of his legitimate incomes and expenditures.

"His proceeds of crime were shown to be almost £80,000 of drug selling over this period of time."