A drug dealer who was caught with a £1 million stolen painting and £450,000 worth of drugs has been jailed for eight years and eight months.

Harry Fisher, 28, of Sevens Kings Way, Kingston, was sentenced at Kingston Crown Court today (October 20) after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply class A drugs and acquiring criminal property.

Fisher was arrested on June 15 after detectives from the Met's Organised Crime Command stopped his Mercedes in a Strood, Kent, and found one kilogram of cocaine and £30,000 in cash.

A passenger in the vehicle, Zak Lal, 32, of Columbine Road, Strood, Rochester, was also arrested and pleaded guilty to the same charges.

Lal also admitted a charge of possession of an offensive weapon in relation to a knife he had with him at the time of his arrest.

He was jailed for five years and eight months at the same hearing.

Both men’s homes were searched later that day and three kilograms of cocaine and 15,000 ecstasy tablets were found in Fisher’s flat in Kingston.

The painting, called Cookham from Englefield, was also found during the search, and was later identified as the one stolen from the Stanley Spencer art gallery.

Fisher's family home in Fulham was also searched and police found more class A drugs and £40,000 in cash.

A search of Lal's family home found £2,000 in cash and a number of cheap, disposable mobile phones.

The total street value of the drugs was estimated to be £450,000.

Detective Inspector Andy Whitewood, of the Met's Organised Crime Command, said: “These two men were caught in possession of a considerable amount of class A drugs as the result of a proactive investigation targeting high end, organised drug supply.

“A search of Fisher's address revealed a stolen £1m painting, this demonstrates the link between drugs trafficking and serious, acquisitive crime.

“I am pleased to say that the painting has now been returned to the art gallery from where it was stolen.

“The guilty pleas entered by both men were due to the weight of the evidence against them and are a testimony to the depth of the investigation.

“The sentences handed to these defendants should act as a deterrent to anyone else involved in the supply of illegal drugs.”