Former Australian cricketer Stuart Macgill will have to serve a community sentence after being convicted for a cocaine deal in which he was kidnapped. the 54-year-old McGill had been accused of facilitating a cocaine deal between his partner’s brother, Marino Sotiropoulos, and a dealer (who was not named for legal reasons) called Person A.
Macgill was the link for a $330,000 exchange for a kilogram of cocaine between his brother-in-law, Marino Sotiropoulos, and his regular drug dealer. The cricketer arranged for a meeting under his restaurant on Sydney’s north shore. However, the former Test leg-spinner denied knowing that a deal would take place and admitted that he regularly purchased half a gram of cocaine for $200 from the dealer.
MacGill has been sentenced to an intensive corrections order for one year and 10 months, and also 495 hours of community service by Judge Nicole Noman. “His role was essential to bring the parties together and for the transaction to occur,” she said.
“The offender’s colossal lapse of judgment has been causative of a very public fall from grace,” the judge added. Three years ago, MacGill was kidnapped by some goons on April 14, 2021, followed by six men still under trial for the kidnapping.
The court of Judge Nicole Noman was told that MacGill is alleged to have facilitated the supply of one Kg of cocaine in the suburb of Neutral Bay, a locality on Sydney’s lower north shore on or around April 8, 2021. As per Australian media, Crown prosecutor Gabrielle Steadman told the jury that the former Test star was a regular cocaine user at the time of incident and was allegedly introduced Person A, from whom he regularly bought cocaine. Steadman told the jury that the charge against MacGill only related the former Australian star setting up a meeting between the pair for the cocaine to be exchanged.
Earlier AAP reported that Person A allegedly decided to set up another meeting in which he planned to rip off the suppliers by using a fake bundle of cash. As per AAP, the jury was told that there was no dispute that MacGill was kidnaped by several men on April 14, 2021 and was later stripped and beaten.