A drug dealer who tried to sell class A drugs in a Maidstone bar has been locked up for 18 months.

Vijay Guidotti, 19, formerly of the High Street, was found to have hidden a stash of ecstasy tablets in the waistband of his jeans, after a search by police at the Source Bar last year.

He was sentenced for possessing drugs with intent to supply at Maidstone Crown Court.

He had pleaded guilty at a previous hearing, where he was also convicted of being concerned in the making of an offer to supply ecstasy.

He was sentenced to 18 months in a young offenders’ institution.

Police were called to the Rose Yard premises shortly after midnight on May 27.

Staff had seen Guidotti acting suspiciously and carrying a large amount of cash in his hand.

Officers searched the teenager and seized 16 green-coloured tablets which had been separated into resealable bags, each marked with a skull and crossbones motif.

At Guidotti’s home a further search then uncovered cannabis, scales, and other drugs paraphernalia. During police interview Guidotti claimed he bought the tablets the day before he was arrested but thought that they were legal highs.

Forensic tests confirmed they were MDMA tablets - also known as ecstasy.

Det Con Gemma Kent said: “Guidotti had separated the drugs into individual bags and it was obvious that he had intended to try and sell ecstasy tablets to numerous people.

“It is important to remember that the effects of taking controlled drugs can vary from person to person, sometimes with tragic consequences.

"Hopefully this sentence will serve as a strong warning to anyone thinking about selling drugs in Maidstone that they will be dealt with robustly and that it simply isn’t worth it.”

Guidotti’s sentence follows that of Valentino Aghssa, who also was jailed at the same court last week for three years and three months.

Aghssa, 30, formerly of Paddock Wood was convicted of possessing ecstasy with intent to supply after he was stopped and searched in the Source Bar in July last year.