Cocaine epidemic warning as Electric Picnic patrons massive sum to court poor box in Laois

Electric Picnic attendees paid out over €50,000 in a single day to avoid drug convictions at Portlaoise District Court. 

The money was paid to the court poor box after Judge Andrew Cody set aside a special sitting for people caught with drugs at the festival.

In total €53,650 was paid over by first time offenders who were given the option of paying substantial sums or being convicted of drug offences.

More than 200 first time offenders were brought before the special sitting of Portlaoise District Court this morning. 

The court sitting was held to give first time offenders who were caught with drugs valued at up to €1,500 an option of making a donation to the court poor box instead of being fined.

Judge Cody expressed a belief that the numbers appearing before the court were only a fraction of the number of drug takers at the festival. 

He acknowledged the Electric Picnic as a very well run festival that contributed to the national and local economy in Laois. 

“Unfortunately, there is also a side to Electric Picnic in the form of drug usage which has resulted in so many people being brought to Court here today,” he said.  

“In a paper published in the September 2021 issue of the Irish Journal of Medical Sciences which detailed the results of an anonymous online survey completed by 1,193 Irish festival-goers over the age of 18 of whom 96 per cent reported using drugs at festivals at home and abroad during 2019,” Judge Cody pointed out.

He invited those in the court to consider the implications of a conviction. 

“I ask those here today and those that will attend Electric Picnic 2023, is it worth the risk sacrificing travel and working abroad and the risk of an adverse Garda vetting report, as the imprint of a criminal conviction will drag behind you for the rest of your life like a ball and chain?” he asked. 

“I want to mention one drug in particular here today. The District Court has a ringside seat that enables us the Court observe first-hand the current epidemic of cocaine use in Ireland. 

Michael Guerin who is a senior addiction counsellor at Cuan Mhuire addiction centre said last year that while cocaine use may have previously been associated mainly with more affluent people, that is no longer the reality. He said 'It would appear, at this stage, that cocaine is the drug that has absolutely transcended all those social and economic boundaries that we perceived to be the case before'.” 

“In a very short time a user goes from enjoying cocaine occasionally, to needing cocaine regularly, to craving cocaine all the time and the tables are turned and a user is then in the control of full-blown cocaine addiction,” warned Judge Cody. 

“Cocaine goes through three or four dealers before making it into your hands at Electric Picnic but each step it is likely to have been mixed with other substances to increase its bulk with all sorts of things from baking powder to rat poison. The one thing you can be certain of is that it’s not pure and you are taking your life in your hands every time you use cocaine as you have no idea what you are putting into your body or the effect it will have on you,” he told the defendants. 

“Within a Family drug abuse leads to a breakdown in trust, substantial and often unbearable stress, financial problems, physical and emotional abuse, threats and intimidation from dealers which can often result in homes, cars and in the worst cases relatives being targeted. The full extent of drug-related intimidation in Ireland remains hidden as many families are afraid to go to Gardaí to seek help; where they do come forward, they may have already handed over the money to meet their children’s debts and suffered terrible intimidation or violence,” Judge Cody explained.  

He pointed to the connection between using drugs at the Electric Picnic and the Irish and global drug trade. 

“Each person that was a cocaine user were no more than one or two transactions from the criminal gangs that have wreaked death and destruction in Ireland for decades but particularly over the last ten years. People don’t seem to realise the money they are paying goes to a local dealer, who in turn pays a regional dealer, and he pays a national gang, probably with links in Spain or elsewhere and they then pay the international cartel in Afghanistan, Colombia or Mexico. This is not a victimless crime as you are supporting directly those who murder, inflict beatings, and pedal misery, and are helping to line the pockets of criminals both here and internationally with corruption and criminality at every stage of the drug supply chain,” said Judge Cody. 

Electric Picnic cocaine conviction avoided after donation

He explained the nature of a court poor box where a payment to charity could be made to avoid a conviction under certain conditions. 

“For those that are here today and in court for the first time, you will be given an opportunity to avoid a conviction by donating to the court poor box provided that you plead guilty today, have no previous convictions, and do not require a certificate of analysis or Legal Aid. 

The contribution to the court poor box will not be a one size fits all and the contribution will be of such a figure that it reflects the seriousness of the offence and acts as a real deterrent against any future behaviour of such a nature,” he said.  

A total of €53,650 had been donated to the court poor box when the special sitting of Portlaoise District Court ended on Tuesday.