Convicted Shropshire drug dealer Naseer Zaman – who is already serving a 15-year sentence – has been told he must pay £225,000 into court or face further time behind bars.

The confiscation order was made by Judge Michael Challinor under Proceeds of Crime legislation at Wolverhampton Crown Court yesterday.

The court heard the 40-year-old had led a criminal lifestyle and had benefited by £450,000 from his criminal conduct.

Judge Challinor said the confiscation order of £225,000 had to be paid in six months and if in default of the order he would have to serve an additional two-and-half years in prison.

David Allen, for the prosecution, said Zaman had waived his right to a sum of cash – believed to be in the region of £70,000 – previously seized by the police.

Yesterday’s rulings follow an extensive investigation into Zaman’s financial status by officers from West Mercia Police’s economic crime unit based in Telford and included details of the purchase of his luxury home at Lilleshall.

The confiscation monies must be paid from legitimate funds and it is understood Zaman may be forced to sell his home – Abbey Court in Abbey Road – to comply with the order before January next year.

In August last year Zaman, the former manager of the Barley Mow pub in Newport, was jailed for a total of 15 years – six years for conspiring with Harvinder Singh Mattu to import cocaine and a further nine years for conspiring with two serving prisoners – Dean Gordon and Kemal Erdogan – to import up to 10kg of heroin.

Zaman had also admitted assisting an offender by harbouring Ehyaz Mahboob to prevent his arrest. Mahboob, of Solihull, was also jailed for 15 years for a conspiracy to supply an estimated £1.5 million of heroin.

And 34-year-old Gordon, formerly of Teal Close, Stirchley, who was serving nine years for drugs offences, was jailed for a further eight years, and Erdogan, 46, of Hoxton, north London, who was serving 13 years for drug dealing, was also jailed for a further eight years.

Meanwhile, in May this year, Zaman was granted leave to appeal against the length of his prison sentence by a judge at the High Court in London.

Yesterday John McMillan, his solicitor, of Wright McMillan Bennett, said the appeal had been lodged with the High Court and a full hearing was likely to be heard later this year.

By Arthur Mills