A DRUG dealer who orchestrated the supply of heroin and crack cocaine in Tunbridge Wells has been jailed for six years.

Rudy Sabarudin kept a cache of the drugs buried in woodland and arranged for others to dish them out to addicts in the town centre.

The 28-year-old and his assistant, Daniel Hibberd, who was jailed for five years, were told by a judge: "You set yourselves up as merchants of misery and degradation, knowing full well the effect of addiction on others, perhaps encouraging others to become addicts.

"In that way, this dreadful pernicious mushroom of addiction grows inexorably."

Sabarudin and Hibberd were arrested in a police undercover operation that led to several "street level" dealers being caught and punished by the courts.

Deborah Charles, prosecuting, said it took a little longer to find the main suppliers.

Royston Sinclair, who was jailed for five-and-a-half years in September for conspiracy to supply drugs and robbery, was linked to Sabarudin.

Miss Charles said officers spotted a car that ironically had a baby on board sign and a Winnie the Pooh sun visor moving around the town centre.

Sinclair, another man and Sabarudin were seen associating with local drug users in Grove Park in September 2004. Dealing from the car was caught on CCTV cameras.

Hibberd was later seen acting as Sabarudin’s driver, taking over from Sinclair, who had been arrested. Hibberd also retrieved drugs from the cache in woods at Hungershall Park.

Miss Charles said the police managed to find where the drugs were buried and unearthed 10 packages.

When Hibberd returned the next day, he was arrested after trying to run off. He had a bag containing 10 small packs of crack cocaine totalling 2.7g.

Sabarudin, who used the alias Terry Saunders, was surrounded as he sat in the passenger seat of a waiting car. He refused to get out and officers smashed the windscreen.

The total amount of crack cocaine seized was 15g and there was more than 69g of heroin. The drugs would have been bought for up to about £3,684 and sold for up to £5,700.

Sabarudin, of Abbey Wood, and Hibberd, of Blackheath, both South East London, admitted conspiracy to supply drugs.

Judge Andrew Patience, QC, said it was a skilful and cunning organisation to supply drugs in the Tunbridge Wells area.

"If both of you are, or have been addicts, you will well understand the effect it has," he told the two men. "To further your own addiction by doing what you did was nothing short of outrageous."

The judge added: "I am not going to waste words on either of you."