Convicted drug trafficker, James Thomas Dwyer, 35, snorted cocaine in Giddy Goat Nightclub

A man who claims he no longer has a drug problem was seen “snorting lines” at the Giddy Goat Nightclub in Rockhampton. Here’s what happened to him in court.  

Convicted drug trafficker, James Thomas Dwyer, 35, snorted cocaine in Giddy Goat Nightclub. He pleaded guilty to the cocaine charge on June 29, 2022, in Rockhampton Magistrates Court.

A convicted drug trafficker who claims he no longer has a drug problem was busted snorting cocaine in a Central Queensland nightclub.

James Thomas Dwyer, 35, pleaded guilty on June 29 in Rockhampton Magistrates Court to one count of possessing a dangerous drug.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Darrell Dalton said security had detained Dwyer at the Giddy Goat Nightclub on June 12 after witnesses saw him “snorting lines”.

Sgt Dalton said Dwyer was found in possession of 1.3g of cocaine.

Defence lawyer Samantha Legrady said Dwyer had been working in the floor coverings industry for about 15 years, had been out of prison for six years and instructed he had “been clean since then”.

She said Dwyer was out on a buck’s night and did not remember the night, nor the cocaine.

The court heard Dwyer had a three-page criminal record, which included the drug trafficking conviction for which he was sentenced to three years’ prison in 2015, and his last drug offence was in 2019.

Magistrate Cameron Press said Dwyer was “too old to be doing this sort of thing”.

“I’m not going to accept that there’s no drugs in your life anymore,” Mr Press said.

“They’ve been in your life in the past; you would have just been too unlucky, Sir, to have been caught in those few seconds that you’ve only ever used drugs since 2019.”

Mr Press placed Dwyer on a 12-month probation order with a conviction recorded.