This reader wants to know why a drugs gang member who made £300,000 only had to pay back £90.

I read in today's EDP (September 3) that a member of a drugs gang made £300,000 and has to pay back just £90. He has undoubtedly ruined many lives during his drug dealing days. What happened to the £299,910?

An article in your newspaper dated August 10 reported that a gangster benefited from robberies in our area to the sum of over £1.2million and was asked to pay back £1. This sum of money is more than the average person would earn in the whole of their working life and they would pay income tax.

I cannot believe this individual has managed to spend this sort of money, considering he is now only 23 years of age. I expect he has stowed it away somewhere so he can benefit from his ill-gotten gains when he comes out of prison in just a few years' time. He is being kept, fed and watered at Her Majesty's pleasure, and when he comes out will never need to work.

These sort of decisions will encourage people to turn to crime, which obviously does pay.