DRUG dealers who attempted to smuggle cocaine, ecstasy and ketamine into Creamfields have been jailed for more than 30 years.

Cheshire Police seized thousands of pounds worth of drugs from the 12 defendants at the Daresbury dance music over the August bank holiday week last year.

They were jailed for a total of 32 years at Chester Crown Court on Thursday and Friday last week, having attempted to smuggle the illicit substances into Creamfields using methods including stashing them in beer cans as well secreting Kinder eggs and condoms filled with drugs inside their bodies.

Many of the young defendants – who are all teenagers or in their early 20s – had no previous convictions, but are now serving prison sentences of between two and four years.

A number of those jailed had not intended to sell the drugs that they had smuggled into Creamfields, having instead taken substances into the festival to share among friends.

Of the 12 given prison sentences, 21-year-old Lewis Collins, of Abergele, received the longest spell behind bars – three years and nine months – after being found in possession of cocaine and ecstasy worth an estimated £5,500.

Arran Craven-Wharton, of Cleethorpes, was jailed for three years and six months by his honour judge Patrick Thompson after admitting possession of ecstasy and ketamine with intent to supply and supplying ecstasy.

The 23-year-old was seen by officers at 1.30pm on the Friday of the festival placing his hand into his shorts before giving an item to a woman in exchange for cash in the bronze camping area.

Dad to a two-year-old daughter, Craven-Wharton was found carrying £1,010 worth of drugs in Kinder eggs after a police search.

Charlie Gratton, of Stockton-on-Tees, was given three years behind bars by judge Thompson after admitting possession of ecstasy and ketamine with intent to supply.

The 24-year-old lorry driver was found with drugs stashed inside an open beer can that he was carrying, having planned to share the substances with a group of 20 friends.

Gratton, who had no previous convictions, was caught with 114 ecstasy tablets worth £1,140 and £1,395 of ketamine.

Bank telesales operator Adam Al-Najahi, of Eastham, was jailed for two years and eight months by his honour judge Roger Dutton after the 21-year-old admitted possession of ecstasy with intent to supply.

Al-Najahi, described in court as a ‘hard-working man from a good family’ and of previous good character, founds found in possession of 94 tablets – worth £940 – at the festival having planned to share the drugs with four friends.

Hannah Lewis, of Edinburgh, admitted possession of cocaine, ecstasy and cannabis with intent to supply.

The 21-year-old, who had no previous convictions, had been asked by a dealer to take substances into Creamfields in return for free drugs.

Upon entering the festival, two Kinder eggs produced from her body were found to contain cocaine valued at £3,430 and 58 ecstasy tablets worth £580.

Lewis, who represented herself in court, told judge Dutton: “I’m so truly sorry for coming down here and committing this crime – I promise I will never ever do anything like this again.”

Judge Dutton sentenced Lewis to two years and four months in prison for what he described as ‘the worst error she will ever make in her life’.

Joseph Kirkham, of Tranmere, was given two years behind bars by judge Dutton after he was found with cocaine worth an estimated £1,240 in a condom hidden in his body.

The 21-year-old, who had no previous convictions and was described as ‘young and naïve’, admitted possession of a class A drug with intent to supply.

He had attempted to take the drugs into Creamfields in order to share the 31 packages of cocaine between himself and five friends.

Jonathan Dubberley, of Carlisle, attempted to smuggle in a haul of cocaine, ecstasy and ketamine into the festival in a fake Strongbow can.

The 21-year-old was found in possession of £240 worth of cocaine, 24 ecstasy tablets valued at £240 and £160 of ketamine having intended to share the drugs between himself and his friends.

On Tuesday, judge Dutton sentenced Dubberley to a year behind bars after he admitted possession of cocaine, ecstasy and ketamine with intent to supply.

Judge Dutton said on Friday: “There were 250 officers each day supervising the festival, and many were involved in drug detection.

“The police went to enormous lengths to dissuade attendees from taking drugs into the premises.

“There were numerous bins for the disposal of illegal substances, no questions asked, on the approach to the festival.”

In total, 13 bin bags filled with illicit drugs were collected from Creamfields by police using this method over the course of the August bank holiday weekend.

Judge Dutton added: “Over the weekend, there were around 40 admissions to hospital from the festival while the previous year there was a drug-associated death.

“There are also more than 130 criminal cases going through the courts as a result of this year’s festival.

“This is a serious matter – not just for the police in Cheshire but for the community as a whole.

“There is wholesale class A drug dealing going on at Creamfields, and those who attend must understand that if they sell drugs at the festival there is a significant risk of being caught and sentenced to lengthy prison terms.”

The 12 Creamfields drugs dealers jailed and how long they will serve behind bars:

Lewis Collins, 21, of Abergele – three years and nine months

Arran Craven-Wharton, 23, of Cleethorpes – three years and six months

Christopher Parker, 21, of Bromborough – three years and four months

Jack Shone, 19, of Flintshire – three years and three months

Charlie Gratton, 22, Stockton-on-Tees – three years

Adam Al-Najahi, 21, of Eastham – two years and eight months

Alfred Hansen, 18, of Andover – two years and eight months

George Allgood, 21, of Godmanchester – two years and six months

Hannah Lewis, 21, of Edinburgh – two years and four months

Alexander Elliot, 18, of Musselburgh – two years and four months

Joseph Kirkham, 21, of Tranmere – two years

Jonathan Dubberley, 21, of Carlisle – one year

Meanwhile, Soner Karaman, of Potters Bar, avoided a jail sentence for dealing ketamine inside Creamfields.

The 22-year-old railways worker was seen by security selling drugs to two women at around 5pm on the Saturday of the festival, and was found to be in possession of £420 worth of the horse tranquilizer.

But Karaman – who admitted the drugs offence and possession of criminal property, having been carrying £1,060 in cash in an Armani man bag at the time of his arrest – was given a 12-month imprisonment suspended for two years.

He was also ordered to undergo a 35-day rehabilitation activity requirement and given 150 hours of unpaid work.

Lloyd Roberts, from Barnsley, was also handed a 12-month prison sentence suspended for two years after admitting possession of ketamine with intent to supply.

The 20-year-old had stashed drugs worth £720, which he intended to share between himself and his friends, in a Kinder egg secreted in his body.

Kieran Clark-Howlett, of Dartford, received six months behind bars suspended for two years for the same offence, with the 21-year-old handed 200 hours of unpaid work.