A major underworld figure at the head of a £8m heroin gang has been ordered to repay £1000 in crime profits.

Roy Dunstance, 40, benefited from crime by £1.15m as he directed the illegal trafficking operation from his base in Spain.

Police seized heroin worth almost £8m on the streets along with large amounts of other drugs and weapons as they broke up the gang.

The judge who jailed him for 11 years last year, Lord Burns, told him at the High Court in Edinburgh: "It is accepted you were the head of this group and that group was in the top 5% of such groups in this country."

A European Arrest Warrant was issued for Dunstance, who gave himself up in the Netherlands in April last year before he was brought back to Scotland to face justice.

Dunstance, who had formerly been living in Benalmadena in Spain, admitted directing serious organised crime by managing others to commit drugs, firearms and proceeds of crime offences between January 1, 2013, and April 4 last year.

Following his conviction, the Crown brought an action against him to recover crime profits.

Defence lawyer John Scullion QC told the High Court in Edinburgh on Monday: "Agreement has been reached in relation to the benefit from this accused's general criminal conduct and to the value of realisable property."

Mr Scullion said a confiscation order should be made for £1000 and asked for six months to pay the sum.

Judge John Morris QC granted authority to the agreement and allowed the time to pay.

Dunstance and his criminal associates became the target of the police's Operation Brora as they shifted heroin, cocaine and amphetamine along with weapons.

Prosecutor Paul Brown said: "Dunstance is the head of the organised crime group investigated under this operation and the group were responsible for the importation and supply of large amounts of drugs and firearms in Scotland."

He said Dunstance was in Spain and communicated with accomplices used the Blackberry messaging service.

Law enforcement agencies managed to obtain the messages despite the encryption used.

Mr Brown said: "They show that Dunstance was clearly directing the entire operation at arm's length from his Spanish home."

Dunstances's closest aide was David Hawthorne, who was the quartermaster for drugs and guns held at "safe houses" in a series of flats in a tower block at Linkwood Crescent, Drumchapel, in Glasgow.

He was jailed for 14 years reduced to nine on appeal.