Australian Olympic Swimmer Scott Miller Pleads Guilty for His Role in Drug Syndicate
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Olympic swimmer Scott Miller has pleaded guilty in a court in Australia for his role in a drug syndicate.
The 47-year-old former Olympic silver medalist pleaded guilty on Thursday to supplying a prohibited drug and participating in a criminal group contributing to criminal activity. He was sentenced to five years and six months in prison, per the Australian NewsWire.
His lawyer Arjun Chhabra previously painted a picture of a successful Olympic swimmer whose "public comedown" from his time as an athlete left him "ill-equipped to move into a life beyond his sporting career," according to the Australian NewsWire.
PEOPLE has reached out to Chhabra for comment, but did not immediately hear back.
According to the outlet, his mental health issues were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which brought about the end to his trucking business.
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"These problems have continued over subsequent years and have at least contributed to his substance abuse," Judge Penny Hock said, per the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Judge Hock said Miller had played a "central role" in supplying the drugs for the criminal group, according to the news outlets.
Miller will be eligible for parole in February 2024, reports The Sydney Morning Herald.
Prosecuting attorneys detailed in court that Miller would melt methamphetamine into white candles that were hidden in a secret compartment in his Toyota Camry, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Police tracked Miller and another suspect on a drug supply run from Balmain to Yass, and the two were eventually arrested in February 2021.
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At the time, the New South Wales Police Force had issued a statement saying the arrests were made as part of an investigation into a "criminal syndicate involved in the supply of prohibited drugs."
The police executed a search warrant and found "approximately one kilogram of heroin with a street value of $250,000, over $75,000 cash, mobile phones, documents, encrypted electronic devices and smaller amounts of prohibited drugs."
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Miller first gained prominence in the swimming world at 19, winning the men's 100-meter butterfly and men's 4-by-100-meter medley relay representing Australia at the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Victoria, British Columbia.
He then went on to win a silver medal in the men's 100-meter butterfly and a bronze medal in the men's 4-by-100-meter medley relay at the 1996 Summer Olympics.
