TWO drug dealers who set up a heroin and crack cocaine den in a Medway hotel were locked up for a total of six years and three months on Friday.

Darren Ramsey and Crispin Siddon booked themselves into the King Charles Hotel in Gillingham. Equipped with several mobile phones they then used the room as their base from where they dealt drugs.

But their "slightly curious behaviour", which included swopping clothes in a bid to disguise themselves, aroused suspicions among hotel staff and the police were alerted.

Ramsey, who at the time was on licence for a six year sentence imposed for firearm offences, was jailed for three years and three months. Siddon, who was said to have played a lesser role, was sent to a young offenders’ institution for three years.

Only 20-year-old Siddon was in the dock, however, as 27-year-old Ramsey has been on the run since May.

At the end of the trial, which went ahead in June in his absence, his barrister Robert Flach remarked: "Maybe he won’t ever be found. Maybe he is in Jamaica."

If caught, Ramsey must serve his sentence consecutive to the almost three-and-a-half years he has remaining of his licence period.

Both men had denied two charges of possessing class A drugs with intent. Richard Blake, defending Siddon, said he still maintained his innocence.

Sentencing them, Judge Michael Lawson QC said there was evidence that it was not Ramsey’s first stay at the hotel.

He said: "This was a well-organised trip and there was a lot of activity during the two days. I consider Ramsey to be the organiser and accept Siddon was less involved in the organisation."

However, Judge Lawson added that Siddon’s previous conviction for possessing cannabis with intent to supply was an aggravating feature.

During their trial the court heard that the two men, together with Siddon’s girlfriend, Lauren Jackson, went to the hotel on June 22 last year.

Miss Jackson, it was said, paid the night porter £46 in cash when she arrived and the next morning booked a second night for the same amount.

Customers contacted Ramsey, formerly of Philip Walk, Peckham, south east London, and Siddon, of St Norbert Road, Brockley, south east London, on mobile phones found in the room. The dealers would walk downstairs, past reception and sell the drugs outside.

Some drugs were found when officers arrested them the day after they booked in, said Louis Mably, prosecuting.

"They came to the attention of members of staff in a number of ways," he explained. "Their behaviour seemed slightly curious."

Receptionists answered a number of telephone calls from people asking to be put through to the room and the two men repeatedly but briefly went outside. Some of the movements were caught on CCTV.

"Another curious feature was that each time the men came down they appeared to be swopping clothing, maybe to disguise themselves or to confuse people," said Mr Mably.

When officers went to the room they found 3.25g of crack cocaine in 14 Clingfilm wraps and 6.16g of heroin in nine wraps. A further search the next day revealed 4.56g of crack cocaine and 2.38g of heroin.

Four mobile phones seized were ringing constantly. When an officer answered one, he was asked: "Can you give me some white and some brown?"

The court heard that Ramsey had benefitted from selling drugs in the sum of £1,450 and Siddon £1,011. The court ordered that they pay back £560 and £121 respectively - the amount of cash found on them at the time of their arrests.

Miss Jackson, 17, from Lewisham, south east London, also stood trial but was cleared of any involvement. She was arrested at the hotel with the two men but was the only one of the three who answered questions. She told police she was at the hotel with Siddon, trying to patch up their relationship. She had not expected Ramsey to join them.

She admitted knowing about the drugs but said she believed they would do their deals outside the hotel.

Miss Jackson was the only defendant in the dock when the jury returned their verdicts. Siddon himself failed to turn up at court on the final day and was only arrested earlier this month. Mr Blake said Siddon had "panicked".

"He wishes to live a life that doesn’t bring him into contact with the courts," he added. "But all too easily he has been swept up by others into a criminal life.

"But he has every reason to believe that he can reform himself and put these matters behind him."

Rosemary Davidson, defending Ramsey, said in view of his absence she couldn’t say anything on his behalf.