A SOUTHEND drug dealer has been jailed after being caught transporting cocaine worth £2 million in two “bags for life”.

Kieran Grant, from Hartington Road, Southend, has been jailed for eight years after being sentenced at Basildon Crown Court on Friday.

The 40-year-old was stopped by officers on the M11 on March 31 at around 10:30pm after checks on the Skoda Fabia he was driving showed it was uninsured.

READ MORE >> New bridal store to open in south Essex as well-established prom business expands

During a conversation once Grant had got out of the car, he quickly admitted to officers that he had a large amount of drugs in his boot.

Police questioned him if there was anything in the car that they should be aware of, of which Grant immediately replied: “In the boot.”

When asked what was in the boot, he replied: “Drugs - a lot. Cocaine.”

The vehicle was then searched, and officers found 19 wrapped blocks of cocaine, totalling 19kg, in the boot which was being transported in two “bags for life”.

The drugs have a wholesale value of £665,000 and a street value of around £1.9 million.

Grant was arrested and subsequently charged with possession with intent to supply Class A drugs.

He admitted both charges at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court on April 2, 2022, and was sentenced on Friday at Basildon Crown Court for a total of eight years.  

Essex Police confirmed the drugs will also be destroyed.

 Detective Sergeant Leo Fordham, of the serious and organised crime unit at Essex Police, said: “This was a sizeable seizure of drugs which were undoubtedly destined for the streets of Essex. 

“We know all too well the harm that drugs cause, both to those who take them and those involved in the supply of them. 

“In this case, driving an uninsured car proved to be Grant’s downfall and outed him as a complicit criminal courier and he will now spend a significant amount of time behind bars for his actions.” 

Essex Police has a number of teams dedicated to tackling drugs and the high harm they cause in our community including the disruptor and op raptor teams as well as the serious and organised crime unit.