Boca Raton Man Charged With Selling Drugs Out of Hotel Bar

Robert Mooney (Photo: Palm Beach County Jail)

A Boca Raton man was arrested Monday on charges of selling methamphetamine (advertised as cocaine) at a hotel bar while already being on probation for auto theft.

Robert Mooney, 60, was taken into custody around 1 p.m. Aug. 3 after detectives stopped him near his residence, a probable cause affidavit filed this week in court states.

According to the affidavit, Boca Raton police’s Vice, Intelligence and Narcotics unit received a tip June 16 about an older white male known as “Bobby” who was allegedly selling cocaine at The Plaza Hotel on N. Federal Highway. The tip included a phone number linked through law enforcement databases to Mooney and indicated he “routinely arrived at the hotel on a yellow bicycle” to conduct narcotics sales, though he did not stay there.

On July 2, two undercover detectives went to the hotel in an attempt to purchase cocaine. They observed a man matching the suspect’s description at the bar. The man allegedly approached them, introduced himself as “Bobby” and, after a brief conversation, “steered the discussion toward narcotics.” When the detectives asked about buying cocaine, Mooney allegedly said he could provide it.

The group walked to the parking lot, where Mooney allegedly produced a folded one-dollar bill containing a clear rock-like or powdery substance weighing approximately 0.6 grams, the affidavit says. He described it as “good stuff,” offered it for $50 and accepted $60 from the detectives after saying he could not make change, the document went on to state. He allegedly told them the substance was “totally worth $60” and had come “straight from Kentucky.” Detectives positively identified him as Mooney. A field test indicated the substance was actually methamphetamine, and it was submitted as evidence.

On Aug. 3, detectives observed Mooney leaving the area of his home when they stopped him, read him his constitutional rights from a department-issued card, and showed him a screenshot from the July 2 recording. He allegedly agreed it depicted him and told officers that the substance he sold was methamphetamine.

Additionally, the affidavit states, Mooney was on probation out of Palm Beach County in a case that stemmed from three counts of grand theft auto and three counts of dealing in stolen property. He is on probation until March 31, 2029, the document said. The new arrest constitutes a violation of that probation, the affidavit states.

Mooney remained lodged in the Palm Beach County Jail on Wednesday in lieu of $7,500 bail.