A routine police stop for a car with a faulty light led officers to recover £24,000 in cash from drug dealing.

Tom Edwards, 24, formerly of Marley Road, Hoo, admitted supplying drugs, money laundering and driving without insurance following his arrest on March 19 and he later received a 14-month suspended sentence.

He was back at Maidstone Crown Court for a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing this week when a confiscation order for the money gained through his crimes was approved.

The court heard how the state of Edwards' car raised the suspicions of police, including a defective side light. After stopping him on the Ratcliffe Highway in Hoo, the vehicle was searched and a 16g bag of herbal cannabis was found and a phone with text messages that provided evidence of drug dealing.

Following his arrest, officers searched Edwards' home and found £24,180 cash rolled up in five socks.

Detective Constable Richard Tolhurst said: "Tom Edwards had no declared earnings for the last four years to support any possible explanation as to how he came to possess so much money. The value of his car was also included in the confiscation order, taking the total amount to £24,558.

"This case should act as a warning to all those aiming to benefit financially from criminal activities that you will be caught and any money gained unlawfully will be taken from you.

"I would also like to pay tribute to the arresting officer in this case who used his instincts in pulling over a driver for a relatively minor offence and discovered greater criminality going on behind the scenes."