Former Australian cricketer Stuart McGill has been charged with being involved in the commercial distribution of large quantities of cocaine. The 52-year-old, who played in 44 Test matches for Australia, was taken into police custody at Chatswood Police Station on Tuesday.
According to law enforcement officials, the alleged trafficking involved more than $300,000 worth of cocaine. He was released on strict supervised bail and is due to appear at Manly Magistrates’ Court on October 26.
On April 14, 2021, McGill was allegedly the victim of a kidnapping in Sydney’s Cremorne area. Mr McGill is said to have been attacked by four men at a property in Bringelly in Sydney’s west at around 8am local time. A person was subsequently arrested in connection with the incident.
Marino Sotiropoulos, the younger brother of Stuart McGill‘s partner Maria Omeger, was also arrested by police on suspicion of kidnapping earlier this year. He was arrested in connection with a cocaine supply deal. .
The arrest follows an investigation into the alleged kidnapping of McGill on Sydney’s Lower North Shore in April 2021. The three men are accused of taking Mr McGill from his home in Cremorne and driving more than 60 kilometers to his home in the city’s southwest, where they assaulted him and threatened him with a weapon.
McGill reportedly drove to the Belmore area, about 40 kilometers away, and was released about an hour later. Six men suspected of kidnapping were reported to police after the incident and were expected to fight charges.
Stuart McGill’s international cricket career has often been marred by comparisons to Shane Warne. Warne was the team’s first-choice spinner at the time, and the crafty spinner had several opportunities to show off his skills.
Having two spinners in the starting eleven was unusual for an Australian team. So, in Warne’s absence, McGill has been forced to make do with limited opportunities.
Despite limited playing time, McGill did no harm to himself. The leg-spinner took 208 wickets in 44 Test matches, averaging 29.03 wickets. His strike rate of 48.81 is the best in Test cricket at least as a spinner with 20 wickets.
He bowls right-arm leg-spin and is known for having the highest strike rate of any modern leg-spinner. Although his bowling in the air was slightly slower than Warne, he was an excellent spinner.
