Drug dealers who used an encrypted phone system to organise industrial-scale deals in Kent have been ordered to repay almost half a million pounds.

Siblings Ryan and Jordan Nicholl’s devices were modified with EncroChat to buy and sell large drug quantities from organised criminals between March and June 2020.

But the scheme fell apart after police infiltrated and closely monitored the network.

Following their arrests, charges and convictions, Jordan, 35, formerly of Atkinson Road, Folkestone, was sentenced to four and a half years in June 2022.

Ryan, 39, formerly of Tram Road in the same town, was jailed for 16 years last September.

Following a deep financial probe, the police brought applications under the Proceeds of Crime Act before Canterbury Crown Court, where Ryan was ordered to pay back £420,618 on Friday.

It came after Jordan was ordered to repay £61,382 in July this year.

Failure to repay the sums will see the men given longer prison sentences.

An investigation by detectives linked the pair's activity to an encrypted mobile phone.

It came after cash worth £315,000 was seized following a car stop in Deal in May 2020 - a man from Crawley was arrested.

Analysis of the messages showed the sale of more than 30 kilos of cocaine had been organised through EncroChat.

Photographs of illegal substances had often been shared before a price was agreed.

The two brothers were arrested in November 2020, when simultaneous warrants were carried out at their Folkestone addresses.

Ryan pleaded guilty a year later to conspiracy to supply class A drugs cocaine and heroin, and conspiracy to supply class B drugs ketamine and cannabis.

The builder and property developer played a leading role in the purchase and onward distribution of the drugs between March 28 and June 13 2020.

By communicating through EncroChat and favoured by organised crime groups, and using the handle 'Lawfulshark', he was linked to deals involving 32kg of cocaine and 1kg of heroin, as well as similar quantities of cannabis and ketamine.

Canterbury Crown Court heard last year these amounts related to actual purchases and sales that went ahead, although it was initially suspected he was involved in as much as 120kg of drugs.

The Encrochat messages, once deciphered by law enforcement agencies, also revealed candid conversations with other handle users.

The had monikers such as 'Tastefulrevolver', 'Bestaccountant' and 'Topsking' and in which Ryan offered Colombian cocaine at a price of £40,000 per kilo, spoke of needing "20 lots of ketamine if people like it", and made references to cash exchanges in sums of £146,000 and £216,000.

Jordan later admitted conspiring to supply cannabis as well as possession of and transfer of criminal property at the same court.

As part of the investigation, a 37-year-old man from Crawley was also sentenced to 22 months' imprisonment in July 2020 for acquiring criminal property.

Dt Inspt David Godfrey said: “The infiltration of EncroChat has allowed police to take large numbers of organised criminals off the streets, protecting the public and ensuring justice is done.

'Whenever possible, we will work to make sure crime doesn't pay by seizing criminal cash and assets to stop the cycle of offending such money can fund.”