California Gambling Addict Jailed for Four Years After Smuggling Drugs Into Ireland

A Californian gambling addict caught trying to smuggle over $300,000 worth of drugs through Dublin Airport in Ireland has been jailed for four years.

Jacob Napolitano, 28, had arrived in Ireland on an Aer Lingus flight from Los Angeles last May when a customs officer became suspicious of his behavior.

After putting his bags through an X-ray machine, officers discovered 17kg of cannabis. After his arrest, he told police he had a gambling problem and had accrued a debt of $10,000.

He said he hadn’t packed the bag, but he knew it was “weed.” He claimed not to know how much was in the bag, but pleaded guilty to the charge of unlawful importation of a controlled substance.

Judge Martin Nolan said this was a huge misjudgment on the part of the defendant, and he must be punished. He imposed a four-year prison term, which he backdated to May 5 when Napolitano went into custody for the offense.

Napolitano Came From Good Family, Says Defense

Napolitano’s lawyer, Marc Thompson, told the court that his client came from a very good family. His parents and siblings had flown over from California for the sentencing hearing.

In comments reported by the Irish Times, his mother said she felt “absolutely devastated” when she heard about her son’s offense. She testified that it was the first time she knew anything about her son’s gambling debt and the fact that he was receiving threats over it.

Details of Napolitano’s gambling did not emerge, but the suggestion is that he was gambling through illegal bookies, which led to mounting debts and threats. He was a resident of Acacia Lane, Laguna Hills, California.

Illegal Gambling Rife in California

This week, a California bookie was jailed for 21 months after admitting to running an illegal gambling business in Santa Monica. Prosecutors stated that Christopher Scott King, 36, operated a scheme that generated over $5 million annually. He pleaded guilty to tax evasion, money laundering, and running the illegal gambling business.

This followed Southern California bookmaker Mathew Bowyer receiving a sentence of 12 months and one day in federal prison earlier this year. Bowyer famously accepted wagers from Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter, who allegedly lost $41 million, of which he stole $17 million from Ohtani.

Bowyer laundered money at casinos in Las Vegas, including Resorts World and MGM Resorts. Both casinos paid penalties of $10.5 million and $8 million, respectively, for not following anti-money laundering regulations and allowing Bowyer to gamble at their properties.

Critics of California’s laws against gambling argue that legalizing and regulating the industry could reduce crime tied to the activity. The case in Ireland highlights the risks associated with running up gambling debts.