Mark Morri: It was an open secret MacGill was on cops’ radar
It was no secret among some Sydney cops and other law enforcement officers that Test cricketer Stuart McGill was heading for a fall, writes Crime Editor Mark Morri.
Opinion
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It was no secret among some Sydney cops and other law enforcement officers that Test cricketer Stuart McGill was heading for a fall.
For years he was known to be involved in cocaine with the crowd he was mixing with at expensive restaurants, particularly the party set at the Finger Wharf in Woolloomooloo.
When I was first told by a NSW detective that they knew Stuart MacGill was involved in drugs I was surprised and asked why he hadn’t been arrested?
“It’s pretty small-time stuff,’’ he said.
Then a few years later MacGill’s name and cocaine came up again, but this time it was from someone a lot more senior who didn’t deal with small-time matters.
“His name was popping up on intelligence reports and some of the people he associated with set off alarm bells,’’ he said.
“He was getting on the radar and you knew it wouldn’t end well.”
The 2021 Daily Telegraph/Sky news documentary Powderkeg was about to reveal claims concerning a leading former Australian Test cricketer when my phone rang on May 4 at about 6am.
“Just giving you a tip, a high-profile sportsman has been kidnapped,” said the source. Before he could say any more, I said: “Let me guess, Stuart MacGill?’’
The source was surprised and believed the backstory MacGill was telling cops that he was an innocent victim and had been kidnapped because had got caught in the middle of a drug deal.
The cops played along, publicly supporting his story while all along in the background they were armed with intelligence reports that suggested he was no innocent victim.
“We have seen some great sports people fall into the drug dealing world, which normally starts with their own habit.
“Scott Miller and Nathan Baggaley are a couple that come to mind, as well as horse racing trainer Damien Flower,’’ he said.
No doubt there will be more.
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