A Dublin courtroom became the unlikely scene of a d**g transaction when a convicted dealer decided to conduct business during his own sentencing hearing.
It seems like some criminal habits are harder to break than others.
Tony Roe, 30, was caught red-handed passing d**gs to a fellow defendant while waiting to learn his fate at Dublin’s Criminal Courts of Justice building on April 15, 2024. The exchange involved alprazolam tablets worth €160 (approximately $188 USD) and c**nabis. It was all conducted under the watchful eyes of court officials.
The timing couldn’t have been more ironic. Roe was there to be sentenced for attempted robbery. This would add to an already extensive criminal record that includes 124 prior convictions, with 29 of those specifically for d**g dealing. His decision to continue his illegal trade inside the very courtroom was either due to remarkable audacity or a complete inability to read the room.
Judge Treasa Kelly handed down a three-year sentence for the attempted robbery, then addressed the courthouse d**g dealing with an additional three-month sentence. However, this additional time will run concurrently with his existing sentence, meaning Roe won’t spend any extra time behind bars. The judge noted that he’s already scheduled to remain incarcerated until October 2025.
Roe’s legal representative highlighted that their client had entered an early guilty plea, though this gesture of cooperation seems somewhat undermined by his decision to turn the courthouse into a pharmaceutical marketplace.
This incident joins a growing collection of weird courtroom behavior that has captured public attention in recent months. From defendants attempting to use artificial intelligence avatars as legal representatives to wardrobe choices that infuriate judges, it appears that common sense sometimes gets checked at the courthouse door.
While most people would consider a sentencing hearing an appropriate time for reflection and remorse, Roe apparently saw it as just another business opportunity.