TWO brothers who were part of an organised crime group within the traveller community have been ordered to pay back more than £695,000 that they defrauded from their victims.

Brothers Hughie Collins, aged 44, and Terry Collins, aged 36, both of HMP Cardiff, are currently serving prison terms of seven years and 9 months and six years 9 months respectively after they conned their victims out of hundreds of thousands of pounds by promising them agriculture equipment and a profitable stake in furniture.

The pair pleaded guilty during their trial in Cardiff Crown Court in 2015 to a number of charges of fraud, concealing criminal property, transferring criminal property, removing criminal property, and perverting the course of justice.

Last month the brothers were each given a further 12 months imprisonment for one count of fraud.

The fraudsters were arrested by Gwent Police at an industrial Estate in Blaenavon where they were staying, in relation to offences which were committed between 2011 and early 2014.

Their trial heard "trusting" victims kept handing over money but never saw the goods.

The victims include one farming family based in Northern Ireland, another in Holywell, north Wales and they also targeted the English antiques dealer Lord Vincent Constantine over three years. The brothers left tools with their victims as security for initial payments in order to gain their trust, their trial heard.

At a proceeds of crime act hearing in Cardiff Crown Court today David Elias, prosecuting, said the total benefit figures for both defendants for their crimes in both cases is £695,173.91. He said this can be broken down to a benefit figure of £340,926.91 for Hughie Collins, who was considered the ringleader of the gang and £354,247 for Terry Collins.

The court heard the defendants were in a position to pay the entire benefit sum of £695,173.91.

The pair were found to have a number of high value properties in Ireland, a number of luxury vehicles, items of jewellery and cash which were frozen and retained by Gwent Police during the investigation.

Judge Neil Bidder QC made orders for the money to be paid to each victim; one family is to be paid £340,269 by Hughie Collins and Terry Collins is to pay back Roy Thelwell and his wife from north Wales £36,000 and Lord Vincent Constantine £185,600.

The most recent fraud charge relates to Anthony Evans, of Cwmbran, who Terry Collins has to pay back the £101,096.30 stolen from him.

Judge Bidder ordered the defendants pay the total amount in three months and said in default of payment they face two and a half-years imprisonment.

Judge Bidder commended Gwent Police officers John Price and Lyndon Evans for their work in this case.