Former Australia spinner Stuart MacGill has been found guilty of facilitating a cocaine deal after an eight-day trial in a New South Wales District Court.
MacGill, who played 44 Tests and three ODIs for Australia between 1998 and 2008, was charged with facilitating a large-scale drug deal between his brother-in-law Marino Sotiropoulos and a street-level drug dealer in April 2021.
It was alleged that the deal took place at the Neutral Bay restaurant owned by MacGill.
The 54-year-old pleaded not guilty to the count of taking part in the supply of a large quantity – 1 kg of cocaine worth $3,30,000 – between Sotiropoulos and the dealer.
However, he claimed that he simply introduced the two men and played no part in the deal. MacGill also said during the trial that he regularly purchased half a gram of cocaine from the dealer.
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The former legspinner told the court that he introduced the pair to each other in order to “palm off” his brother-in-law so the drug dealer could “take him off my hands”. He denied introducing the pair for the purposes of a large-scale drug deal.
“I was not aware of any drug supply,” MacGill told the jury.
During the trial, the court heard that it was alleged that the drug dealer agreed to purchase 2kg of cocaine for $6,60,000 but fled with the drugs after giving MacGill and his brother-in-law a stack of dummy currency notes.
The jury rejected MacGill’s version of events and found him guilty of taking part in supply of a prohibited drug. However, he was found not guilty of taking part in the supply of a large commercial quantity of a prohibited drug.
After the dealer fled with the drugs, MacGill was allegedly kidnapped outside his home and was taken to an abandoned house on the outskirts of Sydney.
MacGill told police in his statement that he was stripped naked, slapped and threatened to be killed by the alleged kidnappers.
MacGill’s sentencing proceedings will take place later this year.
MacGill had last played a competitive game May 2012. He had played one season of the Big Bash League in the 2011-12 and claimed seven wickets from eight matches.
