A drug dealer fled to Spain after cocaine worth up to £2m was found by police when he was attacked by rival criminals trying to steal his stash.

Christopher Brewer escaped in a hospital gown while receiving treatment for injuries suffered in the raid on the flat in Hildenborough.

He was then caught after trying unsuccessfully to re-enter the UK using a friend’s passport.

Brewer has now been jailed for eight and a half years.

Police had been called to the Nizels Lane property on the evening of September 13, following reports of a disturbance.

Brewer, 28, told officers three unknown men had burst into his flat and attacked him and a friend. There was a smell of chemicals which he claimed was a result of ammonia being used during the assault.

Both men were taken to Tunbridge Wells Hospital, from where Brewer then fled wearing just a hospital gown.

Police at the flat later discovered cash and an air pistol. Further searches led to the discovery of large packages of cocaine, concealed in places including behind kickboards in the kitchen and on the roof, behind a chimney breast.

Boxes of substances, later confirmed as cutting agents, were also recovered.

In total 13kg of cocaine was seized, with an estimated street value of between £1millon and £2million. The drugs had purity levels of almost 100%.

Brewer was found to have boarded a flight to Spain just hours after fleeing the hospital.

But on November 17, he was identified during a routine stop of a car by the UK Border Force in Coquilles, France.

Brewer tried to show a passport belonging to a friend but when the vehicle was searched his own passport was found and he was identified as wanted and arrested.

He was later charged with possessing cocaine with intent to supply and for possessing criminal property, namely £22,350 in cash and an Audi car.

He was also charged with being in possession of an identity document with improper intention. Brewer pleaded guilty and was sentenced at Canterbury Crown Court on Friday.

Leading the investigation was Detective Constable Hayley Campbell, who said: "It would appear Brewer was actually assaulted by rival criminals who had attempted to steal drugs from him.

"He knew police would be attending his property as a result of the disturbance and in a panic tried to remove any evidence that it was being used as a base to cut up and supply cocaine.

"This included using ammonia as a cleaning agent, which he lied about being assaulted with.

"The truth was that Brewer was involved in the supply of very significant quantities of cocaine, destined for distribution across Kent and which would no doubt have contributed to the severe and often devastating impact drugs have on the lives of users and their local communities."

Brewer will be now be subject to an investigation under the Proceeds of Crime Act and this will be used to try and claw back any benefits he may have gained from his criminal activities.