Former Australian spinner Stuart MacGill has been found guilty of conspiracy to supply a prohibited drug. The 54-year-old pleaded not guilty during the trial, but admitted that he had participated in the use of cocaine and introduced his partner’s brother – Marino Sotiropoulos – to his drug dealer.
MacGill is expected to return to court on 9 March for sentencing. According to an Australian Associated Press report, the jury was told that an illegal exchange of 3,30,000 Australian dollars for a kilogram of cocaine took place between the drug dealer, identified as “Person A”, and Sotiropoulos.
The meeting was arranged at MacGill’s restaurant on Sydney’s North Shore, but the former cricketer denied knowing about the deal. During the trial, MacGill admitted that he was a recreational cocaine user, but not an addict, and that he spent between $400 and $600 a week on the drug, sometimes as high as $800.
While the jury rejected the prosecution’s charge that MacGill knew about the one-kilogram deal, it found him guilty of the lesser charge of participating in the drug supply.
The former cricketer had earlier been in the news in 2021 after being kidnapped, assaulted and threatened with a gun before being released. The local police had arrested four accused and questioned MacGill in detail at the time.
Stuart MacGill’s international career:
Stuart MacGill made his Test debut for Australia against South Africa in 1988. The leg-spinner’s career was largely overshadowed by the brilliance of Shane Warne, who is regarded as one of the greatest spinners of all time.
However, MacGill still got the chance to wear the baggy greens in 44 Test matches, taking 208 wickets in 85 innings at an economy rate of 3.22 with 12 five-wicket hauls and 2 ten-wicket hauls to his name. He also played in 3 ODI matches, taking 6 wickets at an economy rate of 3.50. MacGill played his last cricket match against the West Indies in 2008.
