“The accused introduced them to one another. Person A had the $330,000 cash and was discussing with [Sotiropoulos] where they would exchange this with the drugs.”
Stuart MacGill (left) in 2003 and (right) talking to former teammate-turned-podcaster Shane Lee about his kidnapping ordeal.Credit: Pat Scala; Instagram @imatlunchwithlee
It was allegedly agreed the deal would take place in Ashfield and the two men left to drive there, where Person A exchanged the cash for a huge brick of cocaine that weighed one kilogram. MacGill returned to the restaurant and did not go with them.
When Person A got home, he allegedly asked MacGill if he wanted his “present”, to which MacGill declined, and Person A agreed to wipe his $1000 drug debt.
The Crown alleged Person A and Sotiropoulos planned another deal together, again 1kg of cocaine for $330,000, which Sotiropoulos did not attend but helped organise.
Then came the alleged botched drug plot which led to MacGill’s kidnapping.
Steedman told the jury they will hear Person A made an agreement to buy two kilograms of cocaine for $660,000.
“At that time, Person A decided he was going to take the two bricks of cocaine and not pay for them,” she said.
“Instead of cash, this time Person A had A4 paper in a vacuum-sealed bag with $50 notes on the edges, to appear as if it was a block of money.”
She said Person A did the swap with what appeared to be the block of money and went home, deleting all relevant contacts from his phone, including MacGill’s.
Soon enough, there were allegedly demands for Person A to be found and made to compensate, with directs and threats directed at MacGill.
The court heard that on April 14, 2021, MacGill was kidnapped by several males, who stole his mobile phone and drove him in the back of the car to an abandoned shed on a Bringelly farm.
MacGill was allegedly forced to strip naked, assaulted and kept against his will for several hours and asked for information and money. He told them he had no money and was let go, returning home in a taxi around midnight.
Steedman said MacGill did not report the kidnapping to police for six days. When he did so, he allegedly told police he introduced Person A and Sotiropoulos but had nothing to do with any drug deal.
In his very brief opening remarks, MacGill’s barrister, Thos Hodgson, urged the jury to carefully consider Person A’s evidence.
“[My client] will say he had no knowledge whatsoever about what the deal was going to be and he simply introduced these people and got no benefit whatsoever from the introduction,” Hodgson said.
The trial continues before Judge John Pickering.
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