A drug dealer who hid large stashes of cocaine in his tumble dryer has been jailed for more than nine years.

Lee Nevard, 35, was arrested in 2015 after police raided his home in Sandringham Drive, Dartford on October 15 that year, and found the 1.5kg of the Class A drug split across a plastic box and a drawstring bag.

As well as the drugs, which were hidden in a secret compartment within the tumble dryer and worth tens of thousands of pounds, officers also seized a stun gun found in the same garage and a motorbike linked to previous reports of drug dealing.

Officers had to force their way into the property after repeated requests for entry were refused and during their search of the garage were alerted to a worktop area used to cut up cocaine, with a bank card bearing Nevard's name found alongside the white powder, scales, deal bags and spoons.

There were several number plates next to the motorbike and in the kitchen they found a void above the cooker housing £10,000 in cash and a loaded handgun.

Nevard was charged with possessing cocaine with intent to supply, possession of a firearm, possession of an electrical incapacitation device and money laundering, and pleaded guilty to all offences at Maidstone Crown Court on Monday.

"Nevard posed a significant threat to public safety and this is reflected in the sentence passed by the courts" - Detective Andy Julier

His partner, Sarah Plummer, 34, also of Sandringham Drive, was found guilty by a jury following a trial for money laundering.

She was sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for 18 months, but Nevard will be behind bars for nine years and three months.

DC Andy Julier, who led the investigation, said: "The search of Nevard’s home provided us with a wealth of evidence which proved beyond any doubt his role in dealing drugs on a substantial scale.

"The fact we also uncovered a loaded weapon in the property clearly showed Nevard posed a significant threat to public safety and this is reflected in the sentence passed by the courts."