A drug dealer has been jailed after a large amount of cocaine and £7,000 was seized from his home.

Ben Freeman, from Tunbridge Wells, claimed around £800 of the cash came from a cake baking hobby and selling cigarettes to colleagues at work.

The 37-year-old was initially stopped by officers whilst driving and they discovered he had a wrap of cocaine hidden in one of his socks.

Freeman immediately confessed that drug supplies in far greater quantities were kept inside his home in Goods Station Road.

He told officers that the drugs were inside a bag, which he claimed to be looking after for someone else.

His home was searched on April 21, where more than £7,000 in cash was recovered, along with 120 grams of cocaine.

During a police interview Freeman refused to account for evidence on his phone, which included a tick list of customers.

He insisted almost £350 of the money seized from his home was linked to a partner’s cake baking hobby and added that another £475 he was carrying in a wallet was derived from selling cigarettes to work colleagues.

Freeman pleaded guilty to possessing cocaine with intent to supply and with possessing criminal property (namely the cash seized).

Last Thursday, he was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court to two years and four months in prison.

Sgt Ed Kavanagh of the Tunbridge Wells Community Policing Team said: "Freeman was arrested as a result of some excellent policing by our local officers and ultimately this has prevented a significant amount of drugs from being distributed onto the streets.

"Criminals like Freeman wrongly believe they can operate with impunity.

"We are showing time and time again that the reality is that drug dealers who try and operate in this town can expect a robust response and ultimately a prison sentence."

Freeman will also be subjected to a financial investigation under the Proceeds of Crime Act, to assess and recover any criminal gains resulting from his offending.