A WOMAN from Merseyside who attempted to transfer more than £2,000 worth of crack cocaine into Bangor during the COVID-19 pandemic has been spared jail.

Chloe Douglas, 22, of Wickham Close, Seacombe, was handed a suspended sentence at Caernarfon Crown Court today (March 29).

She was also ordered to complete rehabilitation activity requirement days.

Prosecuting, Nick Williams said Douglas, 19 at the time, had been travelling to Bangor from Anfield, Liverpool to transport 22g of crack cocaine on June 26, 2020.

Douglas, who had no previous convictions, was to be paid £250 for doing so.

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But the vehicle she was travelling in was stopped by police in Bangor, and the drugs in question were recovered.

Williams was found in the vehicle’s front passenger seat, while her mother was driving, and two men were sat in the back.

Officers had seen the vehicle pick up a man on Holyhead Road, before stopping it on Menai Avenue.

In a compartment under the steering wheel, 238 wraps of crack cocaine were found, divided into packs of 20.

Mr Williams said this had a potential street value of £2,380.

All four occupants of the car were arrested, but all save for the defendant were later released without charge following examination of their phones and further investigation.

Douglas initially denied knowing anything about the drugs in the car, and said she was going to Bangor to meet a man she had met on the social media app “Snapchat”.

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But analysis of her phone contradicted that account, and suggested that she was knowingly transporting the drugs for reward.

On her phone, one message said that she was on her way to Anfield to “pick stuff up”, while another said: “It’s coke, and a lot of it”, followed by four smiling emojis.

Douglas had also sent a message saying she was “off to do bad things”, while a message she sent during the journey to Bangor read that she “had coke hiding down my shorts”.

A message she received referred to her as a “coke mule”, to which she replied: “that’s one way to put it”.

Later, Douglas accepted her involvement in transporting the drugs, but said she was under the initial impression that it would be cannabis.

She added that she had been instructed to go to Bangor to pick up two males.

Defending, Andrew McInnes said that there were “elements of bravado” within Douglas’ behaviour, and said she “accepts she knew what she was doing”.

Mr McInnes invited the imposition of a suspended sentence, with rehabilitation activity.

He said: “It is clear that she needs some intervention from the probation service”.

Douglas suffers from mental health issues, but Mr McInnes said: “It’s clear there have been some positive changes.

“A weight appears to have been lifted from Ms Douglas.”

Sentencing, Judge Nicola Saffman imposed a term of 18 months’ imprisonment, suspended for the same period of time.

She will also complete 40 days’ rehabilitation activity.

Judge Saffman told Douglas that she behaved “naively and stupidly”.

The judge told her: “You are a woman of previous good character. You are a vulnerable person, susceptible to influence.

“You met people on the internet who influenced you.

“Because of your immaturity and vulnerability, you would not have known you were actually being preyed upon by drug and gang members.”