A former Olympic swimmer who won silver and bronze medals for Australia at the 1996 Atlanta Games was charged on Tuesday with drug trafficking after police seized $ 1.6 million worth of methamphetamines, according to reports.
Scott Miller, 45, was arrested at his seaside home in Sydney’s Rozelle suburb after authorities found methyl amphetamine hidden in eight candles in January, a police statement said.
Police said Miller’s arrest is a major blow to the dismantling of a criminal syndicate that would have unleashed “death and misery” in New South Wales, news.com.au reported.
The prison video shows a shirtless Miller with a blurry face, wearing nothing but a pair of jeans as he sits on a chair around a table in a sparsely furnished room.
Another man, Wayne Allan Johnson, 47, was arrested in connection with the case at a home in affluent Sydney’s Balmain suburb, according to the media.
Superintendent police detective John Watson claimed that Miller was the leader of a criminal syndicate.
“Others, it will be claimed, are working under his instructions,” said Watson.
The two suspects were reportedly distributing drugs from Sydney to the regional state of New South Wales.
“This was no small operation,” said Watson. “They were well organized and well funded.”
Miller has been charged with two counts of providing a commercial amount of a prohibited drug, dealing with the proceeds of crime and running a criminal group, news.com.au reported.
His lawyer, Hugh Salter, told the court that his client would not seek bail and asked that the case be postponed for eight weeks, according to the agency.
Johnson was also accused of supplying a commercial amount of a prohibited drug and participating in a criminal group.
The eight candles – each hiding 500 grams of the drug known as “ice” are believed to have been intercepted in a vehicle en route to Albury in the NSW region.
“The ice (inside the candles) is of the highest purity … it was molded into the glass of each candle,” said Watson.
Miller won the silver medal at the 100 meter butterfly in Atlanta. He was also a member of the Australian 4 x 100 meter medley relay team in Atlanta, which won bronze.
He also won the gold medal at the world championship in the 100 meter butterfly in Rio de Janeiro in 1995.
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