Cricket legend Stuart MacGill found guilty of cocaine charge – Sporting News

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Sayantan Guha
Former Australian cricketer Stuart MacGill has been found guilty of facilitating a cocaine deal between his partner’s brother and a drug dealer, following an eight-day trial in the New South Wales District Court. 
A jury rejected his defence that he merely introduced the two men and played no further role.
While the 54-year-old, who played 44 Tests for Australia between 1998 and 2008 and took 208 wickets, was acquitted of the more serious charge of supplying a large commercial quantity of drugs, he was convicted of the lesser offence of participating in the supply of a prohibited substance. 
The case revolved around a meeting in April 2021, which MacGill arranged beneath the Sydney restaurant he co-ran with his partner, Maria O’Meagher.
The court heard that MacGill’s partner’s brother, Marino Sotiropoulos, sought out “Person A”, a street-level drug dealer and MacGill’s regular cocaine supplier, for a transaction involving one kilogram of cocaine in exchange for $330,000. Prosecutors argued that the deal would not have occurred without MacGill’s involvement.
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MacGill, however, maintained that he only introduced the pair in an attempt to distance himself from Sotiropoulos, whom he described in court as a “d***head” who talked about drugs and connections but never appeared to have money or substances. “I was not aware of any drug supply,” he told the jury.
Prosecutor Gabrielle Steedman challenged his version of events, asking what the two men had in common. MacGill’s response was blunt: “Drugs. Full stop.”
The trial also revealed that the deal eventually led to a double-cross. Person A reportedly fled with the cocaine after paying with a vacuum-sealed bundle of A4 paper wrapped with $50 notes. 
In the aftermath, MacGill was reportedly kidnapped, beaten, stripped naked, and threatened with bolt cutters by a group seeking retribution.
While MacGill was not accused of direct involvement in the drug exchange, the jury concluded that his role went beyond a simple introduction. He is set to face sentencing later this year.
Sayantan Guha is a content producer for The Sporting News working across English-language editions. 

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