A gang of three drug dealers have been jailed for a total of 23 years for their part in a multi-million pound heroin, cocaine and amphetamine ring.

John Creasy, 48, of Guston Road in Dover pleaded guilty to charges of money laundering and conspiracy to import controlled drugs, and Kevin Richardson, 53, of Somerset Road in Folkestone, pleaded guilty to money laundering.

Creasy was sentenced at Canterbury Court today to 12 years imprisonment, while Richardson was jailed for 12 months.

Co-defendant Benjamin Woolgar, 25, of Cross Street in Strood, admitted possession with intent to supply heroin and was sentenced to 10 years.

Officers from Kent Police arrested the three men following a 16-month investigation, and seized heroin, cocaine and amphetamine with a street value of more than £2.1million.

Richardson, a long distance lorry driver, had returned to the UK through Dover having travelled from Bruges in Belgium on August 25, 2013.

The following day, he was spotted meeting with Creasy in a car park in The Street, East Langdon.

Richardson’s vehicle was later stopped by officers in Castle Street, Dover, and upon inspection, a carrier bag full of cash was found near the passenger seat.

Officers seized the £23,000 cash, which, after tests, was found to be highly contaminated with heroin and cocaine.

Richardson was arrested on suspicion of money laundering. Following a search of Richardson’s car, officers found 9.84 grams of amphetamine.

Detectives closed in on Creasy when he was found to have arranged for a driver to deliver a package, which included a driving licence and a large amount of cash, to a contact in Brussells on January 29 last year.

The following day, Belgian authorities arrested Creasy’s contact, who had travelled to Bruges, and 11 packages of cocaine with a total weight of 12.63 kilos was found. The street value of the drugs was estimated at £2.1 million.

"This was a significant haul of drugs, which undoubtedly would have had a disruptive impact on the drugs supply network across Kent..." - DI Keith Roberts

On February 5, police arrested Creasy in Guston Road, East Langdon, for conspiracy to import controlled drugs and money laundering.

Further investigation revealed Creasy owned a fleet of 17 vehicles, including BMWs, Mercedes and a Range Rover, but declared no lawful form of income.

The third member of the gang was arrested on February 25 when officers carried out a warrant at Woolgar’s address in Cross Street, Strood. Following a search of the property, officers found a rental agreement for a self-storage unit in Strood.

A further search of the unit revealed 408.5 grams of a substance that was later found to be heroin.

A further search of the unit revealed 408.5 grams of a cutting agent used in the supply of controlled drugs, together with an industrial food shrink wrap machine which Woolgar admitted was used by the network to package cash.

All three men were arrested and charged and admitted their part in a conspiracy to supply drugs and money laundering at an earlier hearing at Canterbury Crown Court.

Following the sentencing, Detective Inspector Keith Roberts said: "This was a long and complex investigation which spanned from Kent to mainland Europe.

"There is no doubt this was a significant haul of drugs, which undoubtedly would have had a disruptive impact on the drugs supply network across Kent.

"It’s well known that drugs, particularly Class A drugs such as heroin and cocaine, bring misery and often violence to people’s lives.

"While we have been successful in taking a large amount of illegal drugs off the streets, we have also put three significant drug dealers behind bars for a considerable length of time."