After leading Irish police on a 100-mph automobile chase, Anthony Stokes, the former Arsenal player, was apprehended carrying £3,000 worth of cocaine concealed in a sock.
On January 6, 2023, while pursuing police at a high speed through Dublin, Stokes came dangerously close to colliding with another car. This Monday, the former Sunderland striker appeared in court and entered a guilty plea to charges of possessing cocaine illegally—the drug was concealed in a sock—and having it with the intent to sell or provide.
Stokes also pleaded guilty to failing to produce a driver’s license and failing to carry auto insurance. He also agreed to driving while intoxicated and to four charges of reckless driving.
At the age of sixteen, the court was told that Stokes “began abusing alcohol.” At the end of his career, he was “heavily using cocaine.” Stokes had one previous conviction in this jurisdiction for assault causing harm in 2013, which resulted in a suspended sentence and compensation order. The forward had nine Republic of Ireland caps and played 22 Premier League games for Sunderland, scoring one goal. His most successful period of employment was in Scotland, where he won eight trophies in six years at Celtic between 2010 and 2016.
According to Stokes’ attorney, after a period of denial, he is now clean and sober, has been connected to an addiction service, and is making significant progress toward “total abstinence.” The judge postponed sentencing until October 1 pending the results of his drug tests, noting that he was scheduled to provide a sample later this month to demonstrate his drug-free status.
(Goal)
