AC/DC Drummer Fined For Pot Possession

The Australian musician appeared at the Tauranga District Court in the North Island under his birth name Phillip Hugh Witchke, according to the Herald Sun.

Authorities caught Rudd with 25 grams of marijuana on his boat at Tauranga Bridge Marina Oct. 7.

Spinner.com points out this isn’t the first time Rudd has had an issue with illegal substances, nothing that he was fired from AC/DC in 1983 “due to his struggles with drugs.” The drummer rejoined the band in 1994.

Rudd was fined NZ$250 ($187.28) plus $132.89 in court costs.

The drummer’s lawyer tried and failed to snag a discharge without conviction for his client.

Lawyer Craig Tuck said a drug conviction could prevent Rudd from entering some countries. He argued that this was a major issue because Rudd has toured more than 20 countries in the past nine months as a “drummer in one of the biggest rock bands in the world.”

Community Magistrate Robyn Paterson denied the request.

“It was not just an accident,” she said. “You were blindly ignoring the law. You have been playing Russian roulette.”

Click here for the Herald Sun story.

Click here for the Spinner.com story.