A mother-of-three who is serving a substantial prison sentence for drug-dealing has been ordered to pay £50,000 – the minimum amount police believe she earned from her crimes.

A judge at Bradford Crown Court granted the confiscation order after hearing Sandra Floyd, who was living on state benefits, could not explain the source of regular amounts of cash paid into her bank account.

The 47-year-old, of Roman Court, Skipton, was jailed for 50 months in July last year after thousands of pounds of drugs were discovered in her home in five separate police raids.

She pleaded guilty to a total of eight charges including supplying cocaine and cannabis and possessing both drugs with intent to supply.

Floyd’s only assets at the time of her conviction – £1,700 in cash and her jewellery – have already been confiscated, so a total of £43,000 remains unpaid.

Financial investigator Mick Proctor, who made the application for the £50,000 confiscation order, following an in-depth investigation into Floyd’s finances, said it could represent the “tip of the iceberg” in terms of the sums she actually earned out of drug dealing.

But he said she would face a debt of £43,000 on her release from prison. “If she wins the pools or the lottery in the future we will take the remaining £43,000 off her,” he added.

The money seized as a result of confiscation orders under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 is pumped back into projects designed to benefit local communities.