A YOUNG ‘talented’ sous chef jeopardised her new £45,000 a year job to smuggle thousands of pounds worth of drugs into Creamfields festival.

The 23-year-old agreed to smuggle 88 MDMA pills, along with ketamine and MCAT into the festival in exchange for a ‘weekend’s supply of free drugs’.

Ana Catarina Nogueira De Melo, from Isleworth in London, was on track for a successful culinary career, having only last year won a prestigious chefs award and bagged a junior sou chef role at luxury five-star hotel - InterContinental London Park.

She appeared at Chester Crown Court on Tuesday facing charges of possession with intent to supply class A and class B drugs.

Prosecuting, Joanne Moore said the defendant, who was travelling down to the festival based in Daresbury from London with friends, had been stopped at the gates of the festival on Friday, August 25 by a private search company.

Police were called and upon searching Melo, found 88 MDMA pills split into 70 bags, 30 bags of ketamine and 40 bags of MCAT totalling to £2,280.

The drugs were divided into 0.5g deals and the defendant was interviewed but gave no comment.

Ms Moore spoke of WhatsApp messages found on the defendant’s phone agreeing to smuggle the drugs into the festival.

She said: “There was a group discussion, and a deal was made to take the drugs into the festival for a full weekend’s supply of free drugs.

“She was paid in drugs and money, and she arranged that the drugs be dropped off at her home address.

“This is a significant role. She was fully aware that the person above her was supplying drugs.”

The court was told how in the messages between Melo and the supplier she had confessed to taking drugs into festivals before.

Runcorn and Widnes World: A private search company discovered more than £2,000 worth of drugs the offender was attempting to smuggle inA private search company discovered more than £2,000 worth of drugs the offender was attempting to smuggle in (Image: Newsquest)

Defending, David Farley said: “She was naive and immature. She was 22 going onto 23. She was mainly putting herself forward because she had a drug habit herself.

“She walked up to the queue, saw the drug dogs, and lost her nerves. She then went to the authority to confess she had the drugs.”

He added that her personal mitigation was ‘quite extensive’ with Melo having immigrated from Portugal when she was 10 years old to live in London with her mother.

“She has some traumatic early life experiences which has led her to taking drugs,” he added.

“She is a hard working and talented chef at a distinguished hotel in London. She is very scared of the prospect of custody.”

A member of probation also took a stand during the hearing to address some of Melo’s background and the incident.

He told the court how Melo had admitted to agreeing to take the drugs into Creamfields in exchange for her own free supply, but that she was going to give the drugs back to the supplier on the other side of the gates.

“She is qualified in culinary skills and is a junior sous chef on £45,000 per annum. She is an academic that has worked hard but she has some demons.

“She uses these drugs to block out unhappy memories of her childhood. She is still using drugs. She became tearful in the interview and said she wants help and support for this.”

Honour Judge Thompson concluded by highlighting the ‘significant’ amount of drugs Melo had attempted to bring into the festival.

“Creamfields is a festival that is sometimes plagued by drug use,” he said.

Judge Thompson stated how £178,990 worth of drugs had been recovered from the amnesty bins scattered near the entrance to the festival that year.

He also addressed Melo, who has no previous convictions, and explained how a 25-year-old festival goer last year had taken MDMA, the same drug the defendant was attempting to smuggle, and had died days later.

“It was a determined effort to take these drugs in. It seems to me it is a significant role case,” he added.

Melo was handed a two-and-a-half-year custodial sentence for count one of possession with intent to supply class A drugs and an 8-month sentence running concurrent with this for count two of possession with intent to supply Class B drugs.