Kinder surprise? Men who tried to smuggle ketamine into Creamfields festival inside chocolate eggs stuffed up their bottoms are jailed
Two men have been jailed for attempting to smuggle ketamine into Creamfields festival using Kinder Eggs stuffed up their bottoms.
Two men have been jailed for attempting to smuggle ketamine into Creamfields festival using Kinder Eggs stuffed up their bottoms.
Marshall Maddock - who was already under investigation for seperate drug offences - and Harry Hewitson were caught by sniffer dogs on their way into the Cheshire festival last year but police only discovered the full extent of their possession after an intimate search.
The duo were jailed for 18 months each after Maddock, 21, admitted to possession of Class A drugs (cocaine) and possession of Class B drugs (ketamine) with intent to supply and Hewiston, 22, pleaded guilty to possession of Class B drugs (ketamine) with intent to supply.
On their uncomfortable trip to Creamfields North Gate on August 25, 2023, the pair passed amnesty bins giving them the opportunity to ditch the illegal items.
But Chester Crown Court heard that a drugs dog picked them out on their way in, leading to officers conducting a search.
Marshall Maddock, 21, has been jailed for 18 months after he tried to smuggle ketamine into Creamfields festival last year
Harry Hewitson, 22, was also jailed at Chester Crown Court on Friday, for the same length of time
Officers discovered both had stowed 10 bags of ketamine up their bottoms inside Kinder Surprise capsules
Maddock, of Rudheath, handed over a small quantity of drugs when searched, but then refused to be searched any further, as was the case for Hewiston, of Northwich.
As a result of this refusal, both men were were subjected to intimate searches, when officers found a Kinder Surprise capsule containing 10 bags of ketamine up each ones anus.
Following the sentencing, PC Lisa Green said: Maddock and Hewitson were well aware of the law, and they have had multiple opportunities to re-think what they were doing.
Amnesty bins were in place at entrance points of the site for prohibited items, but despite this, they continued in their efforts to smuggle in harmful and illegal drugs.
The festival is a huge operation and Cheshire Police work with event organisers and security staff in a bid to prevent illegal drugs getting into the site.
Be under no illusion, while a large majority of Creamfields festivalgoers are respectful, those smuggling drugs into the event will be charged and dealt with by the courts. Do not make this mistake.
Maddock was jailed for a further 10 months on Friday after officers discovered more than £4,500 worth of ketamine and cannabis at his previous address in Northwich.
Police received reports of a suspicious incident at the 21-year-olds Church Road home on August 1, 2023 - three weeks before his Creamfields trip, at which point he had been released under investigation.
Armed officers approached the address and began to force entry, at which point the police helicopter spotted Maddock leaving the address down a set of stairs at the rear.
As he fled, he was seen discarding a package in a cavity under the stairs, before climbing over a garden fence into the grounds of a retail park.
Despite those efforts, officers quickly located and detained Maddock.
Following his detention, officers returned to the garden of the address, where they discovered two large bags of ketamine, which had a potential street value of £4,720, hidden in the cavity under the stairs.
Officers then went on to search his address where they discovered a small amount of cannabis and ketamine, along with a large amount of drugs paraphernalia.
Creamfields is an electronic dance music festival which takes place over the August Bank Holiday
When he arrived at Creamfields, Maddock was already under investigation for different drug offences when officers found cannabis and ketamine at his Church Road (pictured) address in Northwich. He was jailed for these offences for a further 10 months on Friday
Maddock was arrested at the scene and subsequent analysis of his mobile phone revealed that he had been dealing the drugs.
During questioning Maddock stated he was no drug dealer and claimed that he had no knowledge of the phone officers had seized.
However, upon appearing in court he pleaded guilty to all the charges against him - two counts of possession with intent to supply Class B drugs (ketamine and cannabis) and one count of possession of a Class B drug (cannabis).
Following the sentencing Police Constable Matt Uren, of Northwich Proactive Policing Team, said: Maddock thought he could outsmart the police by trying to flee his address and hide the drugs.
While Maddock is now behind bars, our fight against illegal drugs continues and we are committed to doing all we can to ensure those responsible are held accountable for their actions.
However, this is not an issue that we can tackle alone, information from the public is vital if we are to break down the organised crime groups who bring misery to our streets, and I would appeal to anyone who has information to come forward.
