Former Australian Test cricketer Stuart MacGill has been handed a community service order after being found guilty of helping set up a cocaine deal worth $330,000, a move that eventually led to him getting kidnapped.
The ex-Australian leg-spinner was earlier sentenced to one year and ten months by the Downing Centre District Court in Sydney. Along with the sentence, he is required to complete 495 hours of community service and undergo regular drug testing.
The case dates back to April 2021, when MacGill connected his regular drug supplier—known in court only as Person A— with his brother-in-law, Marino Sotiropoulos. The meeting happened below MacGill’s restaurant in Neutral Bay. He later claimed he didn’t know a full kilo of cocaine was involved and admitted to personally buying small amounts of cocaine for his own use.
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While he was cleared of being part of a large commercial supply, the jury found him guilty of facilitating a chargeable quantity.
“His role was essential to bring the parties together and for the transaction to occur,” said Judge Nicole Noman while handing out the sentence.
The fallout didn’t stop there. Just days after the deal, MacGill was abducted in a dramatic kidnapping. He was thrown into a car, taken to an abandoned house in western Sydney, stripped, assaulted, and later dumped. Six men are still facing trial for the incident.
“The offender's colossal lapse of judgment has been causative of a very public fall from grace,” the judge added.
Steve Waugh backs MacGill
As part of sentencing submissions, former Aussie captain Steve Waugh wrote a letter vouching for MacGill’s character and his potential to rebuild.
“I believe that Stuart has the background of knowledge accumulated in his life and playing days to appreciate all the options for the future and the hard work and steps required in this process,” Waugh’s note read.
’s cricket journey from 1988 to 2008 was mostly lived in the shadows of Shane Warne. The former Australian cricketer has represented the country in 47 international games, taking 214 wickets.
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