Man refused legal aid after buying drugs with Bitcoin

A judge has refused legal aid to a man who admitted buying drugs with the cryptocurrency, Bitcoin.

Alex Grace (26), of Carnkenny Road, Newtownstewart, pleaded guilty to possessing a Class B controlled drug, namely cannabis, in July 2022.

Omagh Magistrates Court heard that the defendant had ordered 270 grams of cannabis over the internet, which was then intercepted by the authorities. He also revealed to officers that the package was paid for with £800 worth of the cryptocurrency, Bitcoin.

District Judge, Bernie Kelly, adjourned the case for two weeks to allow for the preparation of a pre-sentence report.

Defence solicitor, Michael Fahy, then asked if it would be possible to obtain legal aid for his client, at which point, the judge questioned Grace on his cryptocurrency wallet.

She said, “When did you get your Bitcoin? And could you tell me how much one is worth?

“The reason I ask is that I know how much one Bitcoin is worth, and if you’ve got a system with the capability of ‘mining’ them, you probably have a lot more money than the rest of us.”