An eBay car wheeler-dealer – who calls himself Del Boy – has been sent to prison for “a bit of dodgy dealing”.

Father-of-four John Hinton borrowed the name of the character from the hit TV show Only Fools And Horses to run his Internet business.

He set himself up as “a loveable rogue”, who prepared to do deals and agreed to set up premises and insured vehicles to store and transport safes which had been imported into Kent from the Continent.

But Canterbury Crown Court heard the safes were used as part of a massive drug-smuggling operation which was smashed by officers in Dover.

Officials seized a shipment of cannabis with a street value of £30m...and senior investigators believe that seven more consignments had been made before the operation was discovered.

Now a jury has ruled that 43-year-old Hinton did not know about the drugs dealing- but illegally laundered more than £10,000 – which was the proceeds of crime.

They acquitted the used car dealer of being part of the drug smuggling operation but found him guilty of money laundering. He had denied both offences but was jailed for eight months.

James Hasslacher, defending, said: “His user name on Ebay was Del Boy where he was selling cars. He was involved in any deals which came across his path.

“And that was his undoing. He knew in this case it was something shady and he has now paid the price. He still maintains that he did not know he was involved in drugs.

“He was doing a job on the side and received cash which the jury now say he must have known or suspected was dodgy.

"That’s what Del Boys do...crossing or floating very near the line but he did not know this was the importation of six tons of cannabis.”

"You put yourself forward as a kind of Del Boy, a fly-by-night lovable rogue, but in truth this was a criminal conduct" - Judge James O'Mahony

The court heard that the “sophisticated and substantial” drug smuggling operation involved setting up a sham company to import safes in lorries.

Hinton rented a farm in Edenbridge which housed some of the trucks which were then shipped to addresses in East Sussex.

He also bought a £7,700 BMW and insured the vehicles, which were then used in the transport of cannabis resin.

Judge James O’Mahony in jailing Hinton, from Coulsdon, Surrey, told him: “Your activity did oil the wheels of this enterprise over some months.

"I find you couldn’t care less what criminal conduct was involved and therefore you ran the risk that it could be a drugs operation.

“You put yourself forward as a kind of Del Boy, a fly-by-night lovable rogue, but in truth this was a criminal conduct. You are someone who was prepared to deal in dirty money without asking questions.”