A drug dealer attempted to trick police by throwing his illegal stash out of the window in a sock while trying to evade capture.

Tevin Mendez and his accomplice Keiron Wheatley lined their pockets by supplying drug users in Dartford with class A drugs.

Kent Police’s County Line and Gangs Team were made aware of the duo when they identified bulk messages were being sent to drug users in the town using a specific phone number.

The investigators identified that Mendez, 30, controlled the phone while working closely with another man, later known to be Wheatley, 31.

Plain-clothed officers arrested the second man at a property in Orchard Street on July 27 2021.

Mendez attempted to flee the address via a third storey window but was also detained.

A search by police led to the seizure of three mobile phones, a quantity of heroin and crack cocaine, and £3,580 cash.

More drugs were located inside a sock that Mendez had thrown from the window during his attempt to evade capture.

In total, more than 200 grams of crack cocaine and heroin were seized with an estimated street value of £23,870.

Mendez, of Orchard Street, Dartford and Wheatley, of New Church Road, Camberwell, were charged with possession with the intent to supply heroin, possession with the intent to supply crack cocaine, and possession of criminal property.

Mendez was further charged with being concerned in the supply of heroin and being concerned in the supply of crack cocaine.

The two men pleaded guilty to both charges of possession with intent to supply with Wheatley also pleading guilty to possession of criminal property at Woolwich Crown Court.

The pair were both jailed for a combined total of nine years last Thursday – exactly two years to the date since they were first arrested.

Wheatley was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment and a £190 fine, while Mendez received six years’ imprisonment and a £170 fine.

The sentence for Mendez included four years’ concurrent imprisonment for two counts of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs and possession of criminal property in Bournemouth in March 2019.

Investigating officer, detective constable Mark Donovan, said: “Mendez and Wheatley supplied large quantities of Class A drugs in Dartford and further afield with no concern of the consequences, beyond lining their own pockets by illegal means.

“Collaborative work with other forces demonstrated that Mendez’s criminal network reached as far as Dorset where he had been supplying drugs in the Bournemouth area.”

He added: “Drugs wreak havoc on the lives of many, from those abusing substances and the impact it has on their families, to the local communities who suffer from the violent crimes associated with drugs trafficking.

“The lengthy prison sentences handed to these two offenders should serve as a warning to anyone else involved in criminal activity.”