A man has been jailed after officers found an estimated £1.8 million in cocaine in the back of a van in Stoke-on-Trent.

Wesley Hughes, 47 of Wallasey in Merseyside, has been jailed for five years and ten months after the Staffordshire Police road crime team (RCT) stopped a Ford Transit that was travelling on the A500 in Stoke-on-Trent in February this year.

The police force said that when Hughes - the driver - was stopped, officers searched the back of the van for drugs and "quickly found" a plastic bag containing 12 one-kilogramme bricks of cocaine.

The drugs were later valued between £1.4 million and £1.8 million, Staffordshire Police said.

Superintendent Dan Ison said: "This conviction follows a regional organised crime unit (ROCU) investigation into the supply of class A drugs and demonstrates the important role we play in tackling serious and organised crime across the region.

"Officers seized cocaine with an estimated street value of £1.8 million, preventing a significant quantity of drugs from reaching our communities and causing further harm. The five-year prison sentence reflects the seriousness of the offence.

"ROCU will continue to use intelligence, specialist resources and collaborative working to identify and disrupt organised crime groups and bring those responsible to justice."

Staffordshire Police said that despite originally saying on interview that he didn't know how the drugs ended up there, Hughes pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply cocaine.

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He was sentenced at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court on Friday (21 August) and ordered to pay £228 in surcharge.