Demons player Joel Smith accused of cocaine trafficking

Melbourne Demons star Joel Smith’s drug probe has taken a dramatic twist after anti-doping investigators made a shock new allegation.

Smith devastated after the Demons were knocked out of the 2023 finals. Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

The drug probe into Melbourne Demons star Joel Smith has taken a dramatic twist after anti-doping investigators accused him of cocaine trafficking.

Smith was named by the AFL in October 2023 as a player who had been found to have cocaine and benzoylecgonine – the drug’s major substance – in his system, which is prohibited under the Australian football anti-doping code.

The urine sample was collected after the Demons’ round 23 win over Hawthorn on August 20, 2023.

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The Demons then handed down a provisional suspension effective immediately as the case was investigated by Sport Integrity Australia and Smith was facing a two-year ban.

But the Herald Sun reported that Sport Integrity Australia (SIA) officials have uncovered text messages sent by Smith referencing cocaine.

One of the alleged messages sent to teammates last year reportedly involved offering a quantity of the drug.

The report adds: “Any attempt to supply a prohibited substance, even in small quantities, can be considered trafficking under national anti-doping regulations.”

However, the report does not include the number of teammates or the quantities involved.

Smith’s management and legal teams declined to comment to the Herald Sun.

The AFL released a statement on the allegations on Tuesday night, confirming that “further Anti-Doping Rule Violations (ADRVs) have been asserted against Joel Smith of the Melbourne Football Club under the Australian Football Anti-Doping Code.”

The statement says three ADRVs for “Trafficking or Attempted Trafficking” of cocaine to third-parties are asserted against Smith.

This includes a violation on September 9 2022 — the day the Demons were eliminated from the 2022 AFL semi-finals.

Smith in action for the Demons. Photo by Michael Klein.

These are in addition to the violations previously alleged against the 27-year-old.

The Australian Football Anti-Doping Code states trafficking in an anti-doping context is relevantly defined to be “Selling, giving, transporting, sending, delivering or distributing a Prohibited Substance, by an Athlete … to any third party [but] shall not include actions involving Prohibited Substances which are not prohibited in Out-of-Competition Testing unless the circumstances as a whole demonstrate such Prohibited Substances are not intended for genuine and legal therapeutic purposes or are intended to enhance sport performance” (Article 1 of the Code).

The statement added: “Smith will continue to be provisionally suspended pending the finalisation of all of these matters, meaning he is not permitted to be part of Melbourne’s football program, including Melbourne’s pre-season training that is currently underway.

“Under the Code, the new asserted ADRVs will be further investigated by SIA and these matters may ultimately be heard by an AFL Anti-Doping Tribunal in the coming months.

“Due to the ongoing nature of the anti-doping process, the AFL and SIA are unable to make any further comment at this time.”

Smith is not facing any criminal charges.

The Demons also released a statement on Tuesday night, revealing it had been advised of the violations asserted against Smith by SIA but “is not authorised to make public comment while this is an ongoing matter that is being investigated by Sport Integrity Australia”.

Smith devastated after the Demons were knocked out of the 2023 finals. Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

Smith has played 42 matches for the Demons since being picked up with the 41st pick of the 2016 rookie draft.

It’s not what the Demons would have wanted to see after an off-season plagued by controversy surrounding Clayton Oliver, while the club’s culture has landed in the spotlight.

At the end of last season, coach Simon Goodwin and CEO Gary Pert hit back at the questions, asserting the issues surrounding Oliver and Smith were “isolated incidents”.

“We haven’t got a cultural problem – we’ve got some isolated incidents that we’re going to deal with to help drive our culture forward,” Goodwin said.

“Without a good, strong culture … you can’t have success. It’s never going to be perfect. It’s always ongoing.”

Pert also claimed: “Our culture at the club, men’s and women’s programs, is the best I’ve seen in 40 years.”

Originally published as Demons player Joel Smith accused of cocaine trafficking