A drug dealer whose DNA was found on a bag containing £40,000 worth of cocaine six years ago has been jailed.

James Thorp, 58, was forensically linked to the bag after officers stopped a car on the coastbound carriageway of the M20 between Junctions 9 and 10 in January 2019.

It contained 481 grams of partially compressed cocaine in block portions which had a potential street value of up to £40,000.

DNA was able to place Thorp with the bag and he was arrested in Enfield, London, in April 2019.

After Thorp’s arrest, officers found a handwritten note containing a telephone number which was used to contact a co-defendant and oversee a drug supply network involving 1.5kg of cocaine.

Following a trial at Canterbury Crown Court, he was found guilty of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.

Thorp, of Springfields, Waltham Abbey, Essex, was jailed for six years and six months last Thursday.

This sentence also related to a separate indictment for possession of criminal property and possession of cocaine.

Thorp had been stopped by police in August 2018 and a search of his vehicle had resulted in the seizure of £48,000 in a shoebox and an encrypted mobile phone.

DS Alan Poulton said: “Thorp initially denied his involvement in this drugs network, but a thorough and detailed investigation proved that he played a pivotal role in arranging for the distribution of cocaine in Kent.

“Drugs destroy lives and we will continue to use all the methods available to us to bring perpetrators like Thorp to justice.”