THREE London drug dealers who established a 'pop-up shop' in a Bournemouth hotel have been jailed.

The men - Christopher Agyemang, Kevin Duarte and Mamadu Seidi - booked a room at the Heathlands Hotel in Grove Road in the early hours of October 10 2016.

A short time later, they arrived in a BMW driven by a fourth, unidentified man. Hotel staff contacted police after becoming suspicious, and the three were arrested later that morning.

They appeared at Bournemouth Crown Court for sentence on Monday morning after each admitted being concerned in the supply of cocaine and heroin.

Prosecutor Stuart Ellacott said the incident has "all the hallmarks of a classic county lines case".

The drug distribution model typically involves city gangs branching out into county or coastal towns to sell heroin and crack cocaine. Children and vulnerable people are often used as couriers to move drugs and cash between the new market and the urban hub.

"The hotel booking was made in the early hours of October 10, about an hour or so before they arrived," Mr Ellacott said.

"On their arrival Seidi and the fourth man went in and made arrangements, paid the bill and got the key."

Staff observed Duarte - then just 17 - walking in and out of the hotel four times between 3.25am and 7.12am. They called police, and officers arrived shortly before 7.30am.

Duarte and Seidi were inside the hotel room. Seidi briefly tried to hold the door shut, but the officers forced it open and both defendants were arrested.

Eight wraps of crack cocaine worth £80 on the street and 43 wraps of heroin worth £430 were found. In addition, £350 in notes was found in an Adidas bag.

Agyemang, who was not in the hotel at the time, was arrested shortly afterwards when he returned.

Mr Ellacott said: "He was in possession of a mobile phone.

"When he was in a holding cell at the police station, he was able to get into a position where he could get out of his handcuffs.

"He was noted trying to swallow the phone's Sim card."

Officers stopped him from destroying the card, and messages were later recovered from it which read: "I'm about. Good stuff. 24 hours."

The defendant, now 28, has sickle cell anaemia and frequently requires extensive hospital treatment. The court heard he has a "death wish" and fails to take care of his health.

Duarte, now 19 and of Broadhurst Avenue, Ilford, has no previous convictions. He was sentenced to 16 months in a young offender institution after a judge heard he came to Bournemouth to escape the "strains of home life" when his girlfriend fell pregnant.

Norwegian-born Seidi, now 22 and of Bedford Road, Ilford, is currently serving a sentence of seven years and two months for conspiracy to commit robbery. At the time the drugs offence was committed, he had no criminal record, it was heard.

He was sentenced to 10 months in prison consecutive to his existing sentence.

Agyemang, of Hyde Close, London, has a number of previous convictions, including committing grievous bodily harm with intent and possession of heroin and cocaine with intent to supply. He was sentenced to 21 months in prison.