A drug dealer has been jailed after police found £25,000 worth of cocaine and heroin hidden behind a kitchen panel.

The huge haul was linked to Kyle Hellyer who, when stopped by officers months later, had a further £30,000 worth of Class A substances in a van he was driving.

Police say the drugs that Hellyer, of Station Road, Birchington, was dealing would have "made a large amount of money for an organised criminal group".

The events that led to the 36-year-old's imprisonment began when officers carried out an early-morning warrant in Townley Street, Ramsgate, on August 20, 2019.

In a cavity in a wall, which was hidden behind a panel in the kitchen, police found more than 500 wraps of cocaine and heroin ready to be sold, as well as uncut drugs. Their combined street value was around £25,000.

Officers also seized cash, drug dealing equipment and mobile phones.

Amy Derrick, 28, formerly of Station Road, Birchington, was at the Ramsgate property when the drugs were found.

She was arrested at the scene and an investigation by Kent Police's Serious Organised Crime department identified Hellyer as a further suspect.

He was arrested on June 15 last year in Minster, near Ramsgate. In a van he was driving, officers found more than 3,000 wraps of heroin and cocaine, as well as around nine hundred grams of amphetamine.

The combined street value of those drugs was estimated at more than £30,000.

On September 14 last year at Canterbury Crown Court, Hellyer admitted charges of being concerned in the supply of Class A and Class B drugs.

He was jailed for three years and eight months at the same court yesterday.

"There is no doubt that the drugs Hellyer was dealing would have made a large amount of money for an organised criminal group"

Meanwhile, Derrick was given a two-year suspended sentence and 200 hours of unpaid work after admitting similar charges.

Detective Sergeant Jason Booth, Kent Police's investigating officer, said: "There is no doubt that the drugs Hellyer was dealing would have made a large amount of money for an organised criminal group.

"The sale of the drugs would also have had a negative impact on the local community, due to the knock-on effect of further crime and anti-social behaviour that comes with drug use.

"I am pleased these two seizures have taken a large amount of illegal substances off the streets of Thanet, and led to the jailing of a committed criminal."

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