A Dartford drug dealer who hid 1.5kg of cocaine in a tumble dryer and had a loaded hand gun has been jailed.

Lee Nevard was sentenced to nine years and three months in prison at Maidstone Crown Court.

Nevard, 35, was arrested on September 15 2015 after Kent Police issued a search warrant and forced entry to his town house in Sandringham Drive.

Officers found a worktop area in the garage had been used to cut up cocaine.

A bank card bearing Nevard’s name was found on the worktop with white powder on it, along with scales, bags and spoons also covered in powder. 

A tumble dryer underneath the worktop was searched and hidden in a compartment were a plastic box and drawstring bag, both containing large quantities of drugs.

In total, cocaine weighing around 1.5 kilograms was seized with a street value estimated to be in the tens of thousands of pounds. 

Officers also discovered a stun gun device inside the garage, along with a motorbike which was later found to be linked to previous reports of drug dealing. Multiple number plates were found next to the vehicle.

In the kitchen a void was uncovered above the cooker. Inside was around £10,000 in cash and a firearm. The firearm’s magazine was loaded with ammunition. 

Nevard was charged with possessing cocaine with intent to supply, possession of a firearm, possession of an electrical incapacitation device and money laundering.  

His partner, Sarah Plummer, aged 34 and also of Sandringham Drive, was found guilty by a jury following a trial of an offence of money laundering. Plummer was sentenced to 6 months in prison, suspended for 18 months. 

Detective Constable Andy Julier said: "The search of Nevard’s home provided us with a wealth of evidence which proved beyond any doubt his role in dealing drugs on a substantial scale.

"The fact we also uncovered a loaded weapon in the property clearly showed Nevard prosed a significant threat to public safety and this is reflected in the sentence passed by the courts."