The jury has determined that ex-Australian cricketer Stuart MacGill was involved in supplying cocaine in Sydney.
The 54-year-old went to trial for a single count of being involved in the distribution of a banned substance, related to an introduction he facilitated in April 2021 between his cocaine supplier and his partner's sibling, Marino Sotiropoulos.
In the prosecution’s argument, the opening essentially framed it as establishing a drug supply network since the dealer and Mr Sotiropoulos reportedly proceeded with organizing a transaction worth $330,000 for one kilogram of cocaine.
The jury at the NSW District Court learned that although MacGill’s role was confined to making an introductory connection, the dealer allegedly participated in two additional supply incidents. One such incident involved him providing a vacuum-sealed package containing A4 paper rather than money to Mr Sotiropoulos's representatives.
The dealer, known in legal contexts as "Person A," provided testimony in a private hearing. Crown Prosecutor Gabrielle Steedman urged the jury to consider accepting this individual’s statement, noting that it was corroborated by additional documents presented to the court.
MacGill entered a plea of not guilty, with his defense attorneys questioning Person A's reliability and asserting that his behavior was marked by deceitfulness and dishonesty across various instances.
The jury required approximately seven hours of discussions to conclude that MacGill was not guilty of the accusation related to his involvement in supplying a significant amount of an illegal substance.
However, he was convicted of an alternate charge for being aware of participating in the distribution of a banned substance—without the aspect of a significant commercial transaction involved.
