Dealer used crisps can for £22k drug haul
A DRUG dealer has been jailed after attempting to smuggle in £22,000 worth of drugs into a festival using a Pringles can and cereal packets.
The haul was one of the biggest seizures of drugs police have seen as part of the policing operation at the festival since 2006.
The 24-year-old had tried but failed to sneak in the illegal stash to an annual dance event through the VIP entrance.
He was stopped after police discovered the haul following a search of his rucksack and he was taken into custody.
A DRUG dealer has been jailed after attempting to smuggle in £22,000 worth of drugs into Creamfields festival using a Pringles can and cereal packets in a bid to conceal the illicit stash.
David Gow, from Paisley, was jailed for four years at Chester Crown Court after pleading guilty to possession with intent to supply cocaine, MDMA, ketamine and cannabis.
This is one of the biggest seizures of drugs police have seen as part of the policing operation at Creamfields since it was moved to the Cheshire site from Liverpool in 2006.
The 24-year-old had tried but failed to sneak in the illegal stash to the annual dance event near Warrington on August 25 through the VIP entrance.
Gow was detained after police discovered the haul following a search of his rucksack.
The drugs were sent away for forensic examination while Gow was taken into custody.
It has since been established that Gow had 46 wraps of cocaine worth £2,000, MDMA wraps and tablets valued at £14,100 and 164 ketamine wraps worth £6,500, as well as a small amount of cannabis.
More than 1,000 officers were deployed to the Daresbury site over the bank holiday weekend to police the event – this figure equates to half of the police force.
Searches were carried out at all entrances into the festival with amnesty bins for drugs and other illegal items located on all the routes into the site.
But speaking during an inquest at Warrington Coroner’s Court into the death of Joe Sheppard from Corn- wall, detective sergeant Steve Currie, who was in charge of the policing operation at Creamfields, said despite police deploying ‘exceptionally robust’ procedures to tackle drugs, dealers are determined to sneak drugs in.
He added that ‘people will find new and inventive ways to bring drugs in’.