A man has been jailed after being caught with over £300,000 in the boot of his car.

Ricky Lewis was arrested after police officers spotted him stopping frequently in Deal while driving a hired Renault Clio.

When officers stopped the car, they found £314,885 divided between two carrier bags in the boot.

Lewis, 35, initially told officers he had driven to Kent to cut his friends' hair and did not realise the cash was in the car.

However, he offered no explanation for how he came by the money.

When Lewis' home in Wakehurst Drive, Crawley, West Sussex was searched, officers found a Taser.

He refused to answer any questions about the cash when he was interviewed and was charged with possession of criminal property and unlawful possession of a weapon.

Lewis admitted both charges at Canterbury Crown Court on Monday, June 8.

Appearing at the same court again today, he was jailed for two years and two months.

DI Emma Lawry, Kent Police's senior investigating officer, said: "Lewis was found in a hire car with a huge amount of money, the origin of which he has repeatedly refused to explain.

"I would like to commend the alertness of our local officers on the night, which has resulted in a considerable amount of criminal property being removed from circulation.

"Kent Police will not tolerate offenders coming into our county from others area of the country and we will do everything we can to disrupt their operations and seize property."

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