Two unemployed men have been jailed for their part in a £1.5m cocaine smuggling ring.

Harvon Davies, from Oakfield Road, Croydon, was one of five men involved in smuggling the drugs from France to Kent using high-speed inflatable boats.

The 24-year-old was jailed for nine years for conspiring to supply drugs during August and September last year.

Kym Farid, 30, unemployed of Park View Crescent, Worcester Park, Surrey was also sentenced to nine years for conspiring to supply controlled drugs.

Farid had been spotted running along the beach at the time the police at swooped on Hythe Beach in September.

The men and their fellow defendants appeared at Canterbury Crown Court for sentencing, having previously pleaded guilty to the charges.

The investigation began in August when police spotted two men in an inflatable boat in the English Channel, but the men were not distressed or needing help.

French police handed the men over to police officers in Dover, with the two men claiming to have been fishing, despite having the wrong attire.

They said they'd been drinking alcohol late at night when they decided to take the inflatable out to sea. However, they were unable to return to shore and were taken out into the Channel.

Around 4am on 13 September 2008 police were called to an area of Hythe Beach where an inflatable boat had come ashore. Several people were arrested nearby.

A car seen at the seafront by police when the inflatable boat landed was driven away but stopped by police soon after. It contained a black holdall with 12 packages wrapped in brown tape and a smaller cylinder packet. The packages contained nearly 13 kilos of cocaine.

Detective Inspector Eddie Fox from the serious and organised crime unit east, who led the investigation, said: “This is a very satisfying conclusion to what has been an intensive, meticulous and lengthy investigation.

“Significantly, the five men sentenced today were part of a significant organised crime group that was probably one of the most prolific gangs involved in this type of criminality.

“Throughout the investigation they lied and were unco-operative when interviewed.

“In dismantling this group and bringing these men to justice, we have probably saved lives. Drug trafficking fuels all sorts of criminality and has a devastating effect on the lives of already vulnerable people.”

Harvon Davies had served time in jail for a range of serious offences.

On sentencing, Recorder Peter Judge Morgan said: “You all played a part in a sophisticated operation. You were caught red handed and some of you tried to escape by swimming in the sea. There is no doubt that the offence is so serious that only an immediate sentence of imprisonment is justified. Although you all played different roles in the operation, you were all critical to it.”