Johnny Adair, a 62-year-old former leader of the Ulster Defence Association's C Company in Belfast, posted a video from his home in South Ayrshire, Scotland. The clip shows him in the back garden next to a glass patio table with a small plastic bag of white powder and a line of the substance on the surface.

Ulster Banner, Scottish, and Union Jack flags hang over a fence behind him, with a lit outdoor firepit visible. Adair holds a Smirnoff Ice bottle and laughs upon seeing the powder, stating he prefers the drink over it.

He later described the video as a prank for friends using baking powder. Adair said his friends know he avoids drugs and focuses on fitness. The footage spread widely online after initial private sharing.

Adair lives in Ayrshire after leaving Belfast due to a loyalist feud. He served 16 years in prison for directing terrorism following a 1993 IRA assassination attempt that killed nine people in a Belfast fish and chip shop. He received early release under the Good Friday Agreement.

His son Jonathan Adair died at age 32 in 2016 from an accidental drug overdose in Troon, one day after release from prison for motoring offences. Adair stated publicly that drugs took his fit and healthy son, urging others to recognize the danger.