BILLERICAY: Lotto winner must pay back drugs money

By [aleys]

A LOTTERY winner who was caught farming drugs in his luxury home has been ordered to pay back more than £100,000 of his ill-gotten gains.

Richard Storey, 52, who scooped £1.25m when he hit the jackpot in 1999, is currently serving a 16-month sentence after he was caught growing a jungle of cannabis plants in his £700,000 home earlier this year.

He has been told he needs to come up with the cash in the next 12 months or face a further three years behind bars.

On June 23 a judge at Basildon Crown Court ordered him to repay £101,280 – the estimated sum Storey made from selling and growing cannabis from his family home in Orchard Avenue, Ramsden Bellhouse.

But some feel it's not enough.

One villager, who wanted to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals, said: "I can't believe it's only £100,000 – he must have made a lot more than that, there were bikes constantly bringing stuff and taking it away.

"I don't think he will have much trouble in paying it back either, all you have to do is look at the new cars on the driveway to see that."

Cops swooped on Storey's home in September 2008, acting on tip-offs.

They discovered 377 plants growing in a series of outbuildings that had been made into a sophisticated cannabis factory.

It had aluminum-lined walls and hydroponic lamps to help the cannabis. Police also found £16,700 in cash.

During the ensuing court hearing, it was revealed that after scooping the lottery jackpot, the father-of-three set up his own property portfolio business and bought up homes in the Kent seaside town of Margate.

He sent his children to private schools as well as splashing out on new cars. But soon the dream turned sour.

Storey claimed at a court hearing that he had to stop his business aspirations after his wife fell ill and that's when he set up a drugs enterprise.

His company Philrick Properties Ltd, run from Springfield Road, Chelmsford, is now in receivership.

After the drugs bust Storey moved in to a caravan in Clacton-on-Sea before being sentenced.

Insp Sue Heaton, of Billericay police, welcomed the news and warned any other would-be drug growers to think twice.

She said: "This just proves that crime really doesn't pay.

"We will come down hard on anybody committing crimes of this severity and pursue them through the courts.

"This will not be tolerated and we will always gather all the evidence we can to put these people behind bars."