A drug dealer who arranged to buy and sell hundreds of thousands of pounds of cocaine has been sentenced to more than seven years in prison.

Terry Agombar, from Dartford, arranged to buy and sell a minimum of 10 kilograms of the drug between April and June 2020.

However, he had been unaware that his messages to other criminals he thought were encrypted could be recovered by international law enforcement agencies.

Messages from a person using the name serialcod that spoke about the large-scale purchase of cocaine in Kent were passed to police.

Investigators were able to identify Agombar as the person using the false name.

The 32-year old, of William Mundy Way, Dartford, was arrested on November 30, 2020.

He was later charged with conspiracy to supply cocaine and pleaded guilty at Maidstone Crown Court.

“They could freely discuss the sale of class A drugs without fear of being arrested but their confidence was misplaced...”

On Friday, September 29, he was sentenced to seven years and eight months’ imprisonment.

Detective Constable Aaron Chapman, of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, said: “When Agombar was buying and selling large quantities of cocaine, a kilogram was being exchanged for between £36k - £40k.

“This is an indication of the profits he and his criminal associates were making.

“They could freely discuss the sale of class A drugs without fear of being arrested but their confidence was misplaced.

“He is now serving a prison sentence and we will be seeking to recover the his ill-gotten gains through the Proceeds of Crime Act”.