A MAN from Ireland who was caught with nearly 30 MDMA tablets at Creamfields dance music festival in 2017 has finally been jailed.
Aaron Godfrey, 29, twice fled Britain before finally being arrested in Spain in 2024 after flying to the country for a holiday.
At Coventry Crown Court this week — eight years after being charged with possession with intent to supply Class A drugs — he was sentenced to two years and 10 months in prison.
"It just goes to show that with a bit of perseverance and patience, Cheshire Police will always get their man no matter how many years have passed since their crimes," said Detective Neil Flemming.
Interpol notice
On Sunday, August 27, 2017, Godfrey was stopped at the northern entrance of the Creamfields site in Cheshire by security staff following a positive indication from a drug detection dog.
As he was taken to have his hands swabbed, he was caught attempting to dispose of drugs and was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs.
He told officers that the 27 tablets in the package were ecstasy for personal usage and he intended to take them himself at the festival, which was due to finish just six hours later.
However, officers seized Godfrey's phone upon his arrest and subsequent data from it revealed multiple text messages relating to the sale of illegal drugs.
He was subsequently charged with possession with intent to supply Class A drugs and bailed to appear at Warrington Magistrates' Court a short time later.
However, he failed to appear at court and was found to have fled to Ireland.
In 2022, he was arrested after flying into Birmingham and taken into custody before appearing at Coventry Magistrates' Court.
He was bailed to appear at Warwickshire Crown Court at a later date but fled the country a second time, after which Interpol issued an international Red Notice alert.
In 2024, Spanish police arrested Godfrey as he stepped off a plane in Murcia with a group of friends for a golfing holiday.
He spent three months fighting extradition charges before being transferred to the Netherlands, where the International Criminal Courts sent him back to Britain.
Upon his return in December 2024, Godfrey was handed an immediate six-month prison sentence for twice failing to appear in court and fleeing the country.
He appeared at Coventry Crown Court on Wednesday in relation to the Creamfields incident, with the court dismissing his claim that the drugs were for personal use.
Seven-year operation
"Mr Godfrey's defence was that the drugs he was found with were for social supply to friends at the festival for no reward or payment," said Detective Flemming.
"I am glad that the Judge dismissed this and the wording in his initial charge stood, this being that the drugs were for commercial supply.
"What started as a relatively straightforward investigation relating to the sale of drugs at Creamfields turned into a seven-year operation that required several law enforcement agencies across several countries to work collaboratively to locate, arrest and eventually bring Aaron Godfrey to justice.
"The irony is that Aaron Godfrey's refusal to take any accountability for his actions by fleeing the country not once, but twice, in an attempt to escape justice, has resulted in him landing more time in prison than he would have if he had just accepted his crimes."
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