Ex-Man Utd chef is jailed after flooding Leeds Festival with thousands of pounds worth of cocaine and MDMA
A FORMER Manchester United chef has been jailed after flooding a festival with thousands of pounds worth of cocaine and MDMA.
Drug dealer Daniel Matthews, who worked matchdays at Old Trafford, and his pal Robert Kurzweil had gone to the first day of Leeds Festival in West Yorkshire on August 25.
Security guards were made aware of people selling drugs at the festival and paid a visit to their tent.
Prosecutor Jessica Lister told Leeds Crown Court on Wednesday that staff and police officers found Matthews, 29, and Kurzweil, 27, with another man and detained them.
She said: “Matthews was found in possession of a burner phone, a bag, an iPhone and a large amount of cash.
“Kurzwell was found in possession of a burner phone, an iPhone, cash and car keys.
“The car was searched and another phone was found with cash.”
The court heard that the tent was searched and a large amount of drugs, weighing scales and over 2,000 nitrous oxide canisters were found.
It was said the value of the drugs doubled due to them being sold at a festival, with the cocaine estimated to be worth £4,600 and £3,810 for the MDMA.
Miss Lister said: “Both phones had messages illustrating supply of multiple types of drugs.”
She added that both of the defendants were interviewed and eventually charged with two counts of possession with intent to supply class A drugs and use of criminal property.
Charges against a third man were dropped.
Kurzweil had no previous convictions for drug offences on his record, and Matthews only had one – possession of cannabis from 2008.
The court heard that Matthews, of Manchester, is a father to a young child and is expecting another in December.
A probation worker who had carried out a stand-down report told the court that Matthews is a trained chef and has worked at Manchester United‘s football ground Old Trafford.
He said: “He wants – when he is released – to return to that trade. He has worked since leaving school.
“He accepts he has made a massive mistake. He went there with the intention of having a good time and knew there was going to be drugs and he would be involved in taking and selling them but, I think a bit naively about the results should he get caught.
“I don’t think he anticipated he could go to prison for a long period of time. He’s still fairly young and naïve.”
Jim Littlehales, for Kurzweil, of Manchester, said: “What occurred is that there was seven of them involved in this and they had bought the drugs on tick and was selling them and were going to repay the money but were expecting financial rewards.
“He was working at the time as a labourer with limited income. He was living with his partner and two children who are aged six and two.
“He knows he won’t be seeing them for some period of time.”
His Honour Judge Khokhar jailed Matthews for 32 months and Kurszweil for three years.
They will have to spend half of that sentence in custody before being released on licence.
The Sun has approached Manchester United for comment.