A drug dealer involved in a "sophisticated and successful" operation trading cocaine and heroin to the tune of at least £1.2m has been jailed for 16 years.

Builder and property developer Ryan Nicholl, of Folkestone, played a leading role in the purchase and onward distribution of the drugs between March 28 and June 13 2020.

By communicating through the encrypted phone network known as Encrochat and favoured by organised crime groups, and using the handle 'Lawfulshark', the 38-year-old was linked to deals involving 32kg of cocaine and 1kg of heroin, as well as "similar quantities" of cannabis and ketamine.

Canterbury Crown Court heard these amounts related to actual purchases and sales that went ahead, although it was initially suspected he was involved in as much as 120kg of drugs.

The Encrochat messages, once deciphered by law enforcement agencies, also revealed candid conversations with other handle users such as 'Tastefulrevolver', 'Bestaccountant' and 'Topsking' and in which Nicholl offered Colombian cocaine at a price of £40,000 per kilo, spoke of needing "20 lots of ketamine if people like it", and made references to cash exchanges in sums of £146,000 and £216,000.

Although it was accepted father-of-four Nicholl was not the only person to use 'Lawfulshark', prosecutor Don Ramble told the court he was the "primary" user.

Nicholl, of Tram Road, was arrested in November 2020 and pleaded guilty a year later to conspiracy to supply class A drugs cocaine and heroin, and conspiracy to supply class B drugs ketamine and cannabis.

Mr Ramble told the sentencing hearing today (Wednesday): "Among the deals that took place, there are various discussions and offers of supply and purchases, and numerous photographs of the product itself were circulated among various handles.

"The figures of 32kg of cocaine and 1kg of heroin relate to solid deals that went ahead.

"Lawfulshark was involved in the purchase and onward distribution in multi-scale and lower, single quantities, of class A and B drugs, with links in Europe and with third parties that appear to be in South America.

"The defendant played a leading role....It was a sophisticated and, for a period, successful operation."

Nicholl, who has been on remand since his arrest, was said to have "spiralled" into drug dealing after buying a derelict pub shortly before the Covid pandemic and then falling into financial difficulties.

John FitzGerald, defending, told the court the businessman had "sacrificed" the family home to keep the work project afloat but when that failed, he "saw and took the opportunity to make money from drugs".

He added that a letter written by Nicholl to the court reflected his genuine remorse for being involved in "something so destructive".

"Although a recreational user of drugs, smoking a bit of cannabis, he had not foreseen, perhaps naively, that he was spiralling into such serious involvement on such a serious scale," Mr FitzGerald told the court.

But Judge Simon James refuted the suggestion Nicholl had fallen on hard times, as well as the assertion he was "employed" by others in the drugs trade.

Passing sentence, he told Nicholl: "It is clear you were playing a leading role in a wholesale drugs supply business being run on a commercial scale. The quantities of drugs in the 10-week period were enormous.

"The buying and selling of at least 33kg of class A drugs and, it would appear, a similar quantity of class B drugs is not only fair but represents a conservative estimate.

"I don't accept you were compelled to become involved because of financial difficulties. There is ample evidence of you being someone with a lavish lifestyle.

"You played a prominent and, in my judgment, leading role in an operation being conducted on the most serious of scales."

Judge James continued that the "frequency and content" of the Encrochat messages showed he was in "close contact" with established drug dealers and suppliers, and making "considerable financial gains" in the process.

"Your assertions that you were acting on behalf of others is both false and self-serving," he told Nicholl.

"You employed others to conduct many transactions while you remained mostly in the background supervising and ensuring things ran as smoothly as possible."

Nicholl's younger brother Jordan Nicholl was also arrested in November 2020 and later pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cannabis and money-laundering.

The 33-year-old, then of Atkinson Road, Folkestone, was jailed by the same judge for four-and-a-half years in June last year but has since been released.

He attended court today for a confiscation hearing but those proceedings in respect of both him and Ryan Nicholl were adjourned to a later date.