A criminal gang which made £7,000 a week supplying class A drugs has been jailed for 20 years between them.

The group's supply chain spanned from the south-west of England and included several properties in Tunbridge Wells.

During the stop of a vehicle on February 6 in The Ridgeway, Tonbridge, a search revealed four bags of cocaine and phones, leading to the arrest of the driver, Cosmin Vlas.

On March 14, Georgi Dimitrov was also stopped in the town in Quarry Hill Road, with officers recovering a further ten bags of the same drug from within an internal light fixture.

Evidence from arrests led to early morning searches on May 10 at an address linked to three other suspects in Tunbridge Wells.

One search warrant led to the discovery of five bags of cocaine in a pair of jeans at the flat of Mehmed Mola, who was detained after throwing a further ten bags from a window.

Nearby properties connected to Sabre Arnaut and Sait Arnaut were also searched, leading to their arrests and the recovery of more drugs and cash.

At around the same time, a search warrant was also executed in Ascham Road, Swindon, Wiltshire, where Leutrim Bardhoshi lived and he was also arrested.

Bardhoshi held control of the two phones which controlled the drugs line and which were seized.

An investigation established that Vlas and Mola had purchased phone top-up vouchers in Kent before sending them to Bardhoshi to use on devices, preventing a link through CCTV inquiries.

All six men were charged and went on to plead guilty to being concerned in the supply cocaine.

On Monday (Jan 25), Bardhoshi, 24, was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court to five years and nine months’ imprisonment.

Vlas, 34, of London Road, Grays, Essex and Mola, 22, of Jackwood Way, Tunbridge Wells were each sentenced to three years and five months. While Sabre Arnaut, 27, of Camden Road, Tunbridge Wells was jailed for two years and nine months.

Sait Arnaut, 24, of Goods Station Road, Tunbridge Wells and Dimitrov, 25, of Maidstone Road, north London, each received two years and seven months.

‘Drug use, including cocaine, is seen by some as a victimless crime but there is an impact on users and the wider community...’

Detective Sergeant Rob Hemsley said: “Drug use, including cocaine, is seen by some as a victimless crime but there is an impact on users and the wider community and every purchase funds organised criminality.

“It is estimated this gang made around £7,000 a week during the 13 weeks they were under investigation, meaning the criminals’ pockets had been lined with almost £100,000.

“This latest result is another example of our ongoing work to ensure drug networks are disrupted and dismantled.

“As well as robust enforcement to target dealers, we will be stopping known users, who are buying cocaine from these lines, for drug wipe procedures and searches.

“We will also be notifying partner agencies such as social services, the DVLA, as well as employers of identified users who are working in a notifiable occupation.”