A 35-year-old drug dealer caught hiding £1,000 worth of crack cocaine in his underpants has been jailed for five years.

Lee McDermott, of Wimbledon Park Side, was arrested on September 25 after police noticed a strong smell of cannabis wafting from his BMW during a routine insurance check on his car in East Hill in Wandsworth.

He was taken to Wandsworth Police Station where he was searched and officers discovered the stash of cocaine hidden in his briefs.

They searched his house and found more than £18,500 in cash under the sink and large quantities of crack cocaine and heroin with an estimated street value of £25,000.

The following day he was charged with money laundering, possession of drugs and handling stolen goods.

McDermott pleaded guilty to the offences, but claimed he was a "custodian" for the drugs and money, and was not involved in street dealing.

Following a Newton hearing - where the defendant pleads guilty but disputes the evidence for the crime - at Kingston Crown Court on Thursday, March 5, he was sentenced to five years in prison.

Assets including his BMW car and an Apple Mac laptop have since been seized by the Met's Criminal Finance Team.

Detective Constable Steve Isom of Wandsworth CID, an investigating officer in the case, said: "This case clearly demonstrates how police are disrupting the sale and use of drugs that can blight communities.

"Through a routine vehicle stop and a subsequent investigation, at least £26,000 worth of drugs will not now be on the streets of London and a drug dealer has effectively been put out of business."