A MAN found with a kilo of cocaine worth £30,000 and more than £77,000 in cash has been jailed for nearly five years.

Joe Lee, 29, pleaded guilty to possessing a Class A drug with intent to supply at Chelmsford Crown Court.

The court heard how on March 27 this year, acting on intelligence, officers from Essex Police’s Serious and Organised Crime Unit executed a warrant at a property in Cranham Road, Little Waltham, Chelmsford.

They carried out a search of the caravan where they found a kilo block of cocaine. During searches of a neighbouring hut they found a bag full of cash and more cash buried underground. The cash totalled around £50,000.

Lee was arrested and charged and pleaded guilty when he appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court last week.

Lee of Cranham Road, Little Waltham was jailed for four years and eight months.

Following the sentencing a spokesperson for Essex Police said: “It is clear that with the amount of drugs and cash found in Lee’s property he was clearly involved in the supply of the Class A drug cocaine.

“Thankfully Lee is now behind bars and the drugs will not be reaching the streets of Essex.

“We hope this case serves an example to the community that where we are made aware of any sort of criminality in the community we will act on that information.

“Information and intelligence from the community are absolutely vital in our fight against organised crime.”

If you have information about crime in your community contact Essex Police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Joe Lee was sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court on Thursday April 26.