A jury has found former Australian cricketer Stuart MacGill guilty of taking part in the supply of cocaine in Sydney.
The 54-year-old faced trial over allegations he participated in the supply of a large commercial quantity of a prohibited drug, over an April 2021 introduction he made between his cocaine dealer and partner’s brother, Marino Sotiropoulos.
On the Crown’s case, the introduction amounted to setting up a drug supply because the dealer and Mr Sotiropoulos allegedly went on to organise a $330,000 deal for 1 kilogram of cocaine.
A jury in the NSW District Court heard that while MacGill’s involvement was limited to the introduction, the dealer also took part in two other alleged supplies, including one in which he handed over a vacuum-sealed bag of A4 paper instead of cash to Mr Sotiropoulos’s associates.
The dealer, referred to during proceedings as “Person A” for legal reasons, gave evidence in closed court and Crown Prosecutor Gabrielle Steedman invited jurors to accept his account, which she said was supported by other records before the court.
MacGill pleaded not guilty and his defence lawyers cast doubt on Person A’s credibility, arguing his conduct was deceptive and dishonest in multiple respects.
It took the jury about seven hours of deliberations to find MacGill not guilty of the charge of knowingly taking part in the supply of a large commercial quantity of a prohibited drug.
But he was found guilty of an alternative charge of knowingly taking part in the supply of a prohibited drug — without the large commercial supply element.
MacGill made little reaction in the dock when he learned the verdict and left court without making any comment.
ABC NEWS
