Former cricketer Stuart MacGill caught in alleged drug war crossfire

Stuart MacGill was allegedly caught in the middle of a feud between drug syndicates when he was kidnapped at gunpoint.

Terrified former Test cricket star Stuart MacGill hid out in a nondescript motel for nearly a week in fear of his life after allegedly being abducted at gunpoint by members of an accused crime syndicate.

The former spin wizard booked himself into the motel rather than return to his north shore home near where he was grabbed off the street and bundled into a car.

It is alleged that somehow MacGill got himself tangled up between two syndicates involved in a drug deal, believed to be worth up to $2 million. A senior NSW police officer alleged to The Daily Telegraph that MacGill was somehow caught up in a dispute between the two groups and, as a result, “they kidnapped him’’.

MacGill is not accused of involvement in any crime.

Stuart MacGill in 2018. Picture: William West

Stuart MacGill at the SCG. Picture: Phil Hillyard

About 8pm on April 14, MacGill was standing at the corner of Parraween and Winne streets at Cremorne — about 50m from his home — when he was allegedly confronted by 46-year-old Marino Sotiropoulos, the brother of MacGill’s latest partner, Maria O’Meagher.

Ms O’Meagher owns Aristotle’s restaurant at Cremorne, where the spin bowling great works as a manager. It is about 500m from where he was allegedly kidnapped.

Police said as he was standing there, two other men approached the pair, one allegedly armed with a pistol, and MacGill was forced into a vehicle.

He was then taken to a property at Bringelly, in Sydney’s southwest, where he was allegedly assaulted by the men and also threatened with a firearm after they demanded money from him.

After about an hour he was driven to Belmore where he was dumped by the side of the road.

MacGill then caught a taxi and booked himself into a motel where he hid for several days.

“He obviously needed time to try and think about what (had happened) and then decided it was safer to go to police,’’ the officer said.

At lunchtime on Tuesday, April 20 he walked into Chatswood Police Station where he made the allegations he was kidnapped, assaulted and attempts were made to extort money from him.

A team of detectives from the NSW Robbery and Serious Crime Squad set up Strike Force Cain to investigate the allegations.

Soon after news of the stunning incident broke yesterday morning, police picked up MacGill from his Cremorne home to question him further. No charges will be laid against the Test veteran.

Robbery and Serious Crime Squad Commander, Detective Acting Superintendent Anthony Holton said the six-day delay between the alleged event and MacGill reporting the incident to police was believed to be due to the “significant fear instilled in the man”.

Four men were arrested over the incident during a series of early morning raids across Sydney yesterday.

Police said they seized electronic devices, clothing and a vehicle.

MacGill at Aristotle’s restaurant with partner Maria O'Meagher.

MacGill was seen hiding in the back seat of a police car on Wednesday morning. Picture: John Grainger

Four men were arrested after dawn raids.

Police also seized clothing, electronics and a car.

Det Act Supt Holton said “no money was paid” during the one hour ordeal to extort MacGill after he was snatched from the street corner. He said MacGill, who was allegedly assaulted and threatened with a firearm in what the senior police officer described as a “horribly traumatic experience”, had in fact been betrayed by a friend.

He said police believed it was a targeted kidnapping where the motive was “to obtain as much money as they could”.

“The 50-year-old man (MacGill) is purely a victim of kidnapping,” Det Act Supt Holton said.

“His kidnapping is not involved in any backstory that leads to him having any personal debt to the people he had to pay back.

“To be dragged from the street, forced into a car, taken to a remote area (and) assaulted and threatened with a firearm … I know it was only an hour he was held, but it would have been a horribly frightful hour to endure.”

The officer added MacGill was “still quite shaken”.

At 6am yesterday, police executed search warrants at homes at Sutherland, Caringbah, Brighton Le-Sands, Banksia and Marrickville, and at a property in Bringelly.

Frederick Shaaf, 27 was arrested at Caringbah, while his brother Richard Schaaf, 29, was arrested at Sutherland.

Both were taken to Sutherland Police Station and both were charged with participating in a criminal group contributing criminal activity and take/detain in company with intent to get advantage occasion actual bodily harm.

Marino Sotiropoulos, 46, was arrested at Brighton Le Sands and charged with take/detain in company with intent to get advantage occasion actual bodily harm, participate criminal group contribute criminal activity and supply prohibited drug (large commercial quantity).

Son Minh Nguyen, 43, of Banksia, was charged with knowingly direct activities of criminal group and take/detain in company with intent to get advantage occasion actual bodily harm.