A drug dealer found with a large block of cocaine worth £20,000, a knuckleduster and cash after he was stopped for not having an MOT has been put behind bars.

The items were discovered in Rennie Ash's Ford Transit van by police after they pulled the vehicle over in Millmead Road, Margate.

A search of the 49-year-old's then-home in Belmont Road, Broadstairs, uncovered £40,000 cash.

He was arrested for possessing Class A drugs with intent to supply following the searches in March 2019.

Ash was released while inquiries continued, but was arrested once more two months later.

Messages on his phone showed he had continued to sell drugs, despite being under under investigation.

And during a hearing earlier this month at Canterbury Crown Court, he pleaded guilty to possessing an offensive weapon and criminal property, as well as two counts relating to Class A drug dealing.

Ash, more recently of Westover Gardens in Broadstairs, was jailed for a total of six years and nine months.

DCI Keith Taylor said: "We believe Ash was part of a criminal network which made large amounts of money from the sale of drugs to vulnerable people in Thanet.

"The weapon which was found in his possession shows the violence which all too regularly comes with drug dealing, and his persistence in continuing to sell drugs while under investigation shows he is a committed criminal.

"I am pleased the work of officers has seen a large amount of criminal cash and drugs taken out of circulation, and that the investigation has led to the removal of this drug dealer from the streets of Thanet."

To read more of our in depth coverage of all of the major trials coming out of crown and magistrates' courts across the county, click here.

For information on how we can report on court proceedings, click here.

Read more: All the latest news from Thanet