Laneway Festival: Astrid Di Gregorio, 20, caught with MDMA capsules inside her
Astrid Di Gregorio, 20, attempted to get into Laneway Festival concealing drugs inside herself, but before she reached the gates she bolted after seeing sniffer dogs.
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A woman attempted to smuggle three MDMA capsules into a festival rave but when she was strip searched a condom with drugs was found shoved inside her.
Astrid Di Gregorio of Marrickville, 20, pleaded guilty at Downing Local Court on Wednesday after being charged with possess prohibited drug on February 2, 2020.
The woman, who is believed to be from England, was walking north along Art Gallery Rd at the Domain in Sydney when she quickly turned around upon seeing police sniffer dogs carrying out a drug operation at the Laneway Festival.
Plain clothed police noticed Di Gregorio’s suspicious behaviour and questioned her with the international student buckling under pressure.
Court papers state she admitted to having “three caps down her pants” and was later led by police to a tent where she was strip searched.
Di Gregorio removed a condom from inside her vagina which contained a clear resealable bag with a crystal substance inside and gave it to officers.
She was placed under arrest for drug possession and the MDMA was seized and analysed, weighing at 0.47 grams.
During sentencing Magistrate Michael Barko asked Di Gregorio a series of questions about the MDMA she had attempted to smuggle.
“Do you know what MDMA is made of?” Magistrate Barko asked.
“Do you know the purity?
“Did you enjoy being stripped searched by police and pulling a condom out of your vagina?”
She looked down and said “no your honour”.
Di Gregorio’s lawyer Ms Warner said she’d explained the seriousness of the offence to her client.
“She’s on a student visa and is currently studying,” Ms Warner said.
The magistrate urged her to do more research about MDMA.
She received conditional release order of 12 months with no convictions.