A man from Maidstone has been jailed for 17 years for his part in a massive drug smuggling operation.

Plains Avenue resident Steven Pooley, 44 was among five people, including his father Terry Pooley, who took part in a scheme to import hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of Class A drugs into the UK.

Pooley senior, 71, from Eirth, was handed 16 years for the same offences.

The sentencing comes after a six-month investigation by the Metropolitan Police.

Officers saw 45-year-old Marcia Quinalha, another member of the same criminal gang, meet with a convicted drug trafficker outside Bickley Railway Station in London. She took a package from him and drove to an address in Eltham where a bag was put in the car.

Later, Quinalha was stopped by officers in East Finchley and the car seized as she was driving without insurance.

Police found £311,000 in cash hidden within a purpose-built compartment. Quinalha was arrested and given bail.

Two months later, another gang member Gareth Roberts, 42, of Ashton Keynes drove his lorry to 'Steven Pooley Transport' before travelling on to Holland where he collected a consignment, believed to have been drugs which he delivered to a shipping company in Germany whilst using false details.

The consignment was shipped to the UK and within a few days, Roberts drove the crates to St Helens in the company of a known trafficker. This second man was stopped by police and found to be in possession of 133kgs of amphetamine and 53kgs of cannabis.

In January 2013, Roberts again travelled to Europe and followed the same routine.

Officers tracked down the second consignment to a delivery centre in Thurrock. It was found to contain 17kgs of cocaine, 18kgs of heroin, 170kgs of amphetamine and 80kgs of cannabis.

Roberts' fingerprints were found on the attached delivery sheet and so he was arrested and charged in February.

The Pooleys were arrested and charged at the same time in connection with the importation of drugs.

Quinalha was subsequently charged on Friday, March 6.

Terry Pooley Peter Robinson were found guilty of conspiracy to fraudulently evade a prohibition on the importation of controlled drugs of Class A and conspiracy to fraudulently evade a prohibition on the importation of controlled drugs of Class B in October this year.

Steven Pooley and Roberts were found guilty of the same offence.

Quinalha was found guilty of acquiring criminal property.

Detective Chief Inspector Neil Williams, said: "This was a well-orchestrated system that saw each person play a pivotal role in the large-scale importation of drugs into the UK. They have all profited from a crime that damages people's lives and leads them into addiction."

As part of the investigation, detectives seized a total of 470kg of drugs and £311,000 in cash. The drugs included: 17kgs of cocaine, 18kgs of heroin, 302kgs of amphetamine and 133kgs of herbal cannabis.