A DRUG dealer has been forced to sell the expensive watch he bought from his illegal profits.

Aris Dema was sentenced to three years in prison last year after admitting conspiracy to supply cocaine in Brighton.

He was jailed alongside Edjol Cani, who also admitted possessing a stun gun.

The Albanian duo were arrested after months of covert surveillance by police. The unemployed 28-year-old faced proceedings under the Proceeds of Crime Act to claw back his illicit gains.

Hove Crown Court was told Dema had a benefit of £5,000 from his role in dealing drugs in the city.

He appeared from prison via video link.

Ryan Thompson, prosecuting, said: “From court transcripts, we agree with the defence that the benefit was £5,000.

“There was £370 in cash, a £3,000 watch, and equity in a property, which in our view are available and the amount exceeds the benefit in this case.”

He made the application for a confiscation order.

Arlette Piercy, defending, appeared in court without robes, as they had been “locked in a cupboard at Brighton Crown Court”.

She said there was no objection to the confiscation order or to the two-month period for the money to be paid.

Judge David Rennie addressed Dema in court. He said: “I hope you have been able to hear what has been happening. I have made an order, agreed by the prosecution and by counsel on your behalf. Do you have any questions?”

Dema replied: “All clear for me, no questions.”

Following his conviction last year, the then Detective Chief Superintendent Jason Tingley said: “This is another example of successful combined work to disrupt serious and organised criminality.

“Often this work is unseen, involving many months of patient and covert surveillance and intelligence-gathering.”

Dema, of Albany Villas, Hove, and Cani, 24, of Church Street, Brighton, remain in prison.