Rodney Stacey, left, and Patrick Goodman were convicted over a drugs ring

Two dealers who oversaw a countywide drugs ring worth £6million have been found guilty of a string of drug and money laundering charges.

Rodney Stacey and Patrick Goodman were said to be the masterminds behind an extensive drugs supply ring across Kent.

Police were first alerted in February 2011, when a lorry entering the UK at the Port of Dover was stopped and searched by UK Borders Agency officers.

They found a holdall with a GPS tracking device containing 16 kilos of cocaine concealed behind the cab of the vehicle.

The drugs, found wrapped in silver foil, had an estimated street value of £2.3million.

The driver was then arrested and interviewed and denied all knowledge of the drugs.

But mobile phone details - including one number saved under the name 'Boss Man' - were found to be registered to Stacey.

The following month, another drug-runner was stopped by French authorities attempting to smuggle around 80 kilos of amphetamine between France and Belgium.

He also had links to Stacey, 37, previously of Victoria Road, Folkestone.

Canterbury Crown Court, where Stacey and Goodman were convicted

During extensive surveillance by officers from the Kent and Essex Serious Organised Crime Unit, Stacey was seen in a number of meetings with Goodman in cafes around the Ashford area.

Goodman, 64, formerly of Mill Oak Road, Paddock Wood, was also spotted over several months meeting several of the defendants, where cash or drugs was exchanged.

On December 12 2011, one member of the group, Russell Hollands, 53, was arrested after officers found £152,000 worth of ecstasy tablets disguised as coffee in a van following a meeting with Goodman.

Hollands, formerly of Lurkins Rise, Cranbrook, was later sentenced to 56 months in jail for possession with intent to supply.

In a dramatic twist to the investigation, on May 3 last year officers tried stopping Stacey in his black BMW X5 in Aldington using their cars to block him in.

But Stacey tried to flee by reversing into two police cars, almost running over an officer and causing damage to both vehicles.

The BMW then drove off, but as it approached a tight bend it careered through a hedge and landed in a ditch.

The force of the crash flung the vehicle’s boot open - revealing a blue holdall containing nearly five kilos of cocaine with an estimated street value of £1.47m.

Stacey was arrested as he tried running through a nearby field - with more drugs found stored in a freezer during a search.

Also on May 3, Stephen Powers was arrested at his car dealership in Ivychurch where £5,000 stored in a carrier bag was found.

As the net tightened, Toby Fieldhouse was arrested in July after police found 1kg of herbal cannabis on the front seat of his car.

The following day, a warrant of Rodemark’s home address found around £10,000 in cash and 6kg of cocaine with a street value of between £1.5m and £2.2m. He was later arrested the same day.

Goodman was arrested on July 24 at his home and later charged with offences of conspiracy to supply controlled drugs and money laundering.

Stacey was charged with conspiracy to supply controlled drugs and money laundering.

Both were found guilty at Canterbury Crown Court and will be sentenced later this week.

Also due to be sentenced are:

• Michael Rodemark, 58, for Pearsons Green Road, Tonbridge who admitted offences to supply controlled drugs and money laundering,
• Toby Fieldhouse, 39, of Albion Road, Tunbridge Wells, for conspiracy to supply controlled drugs,
• Mark Birch, 49, of Longfield Place, Maidstone, convicted of being concerned in the supply of controlled drugs,
• Stephen Powers, 57, of Bromley Green Road, Ruckinge, Ashford, who has been convicted of conspiracy to supply,
• Andrew Hamilton, 66, of Sellindge, Ashford, convicted of conspiracy to supply drugs.

Speaking after Goodman and Stacey's conviction, DC David Friend from the Kent and Essex Serious Organised Crime Unit said: "Stacey and Goodman were the masterminds behind this extensive drugs and money laundering operation.

"Both of them worked hard at organising how they would smuggle their drugs into the country and how they would be distributed across Kent.

"These convictions have put two major players in the illegal drugs industry out of the game and serve as a warning to others that crime does not pay."