Australian Olympic hockey player arrested on suspicion of cocaine purchase in Paris

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An Australian hockey player has been arrested on suspicion of buying cocaine in Paris after competing in the 2024 Olympic Games.

French media reported on Wednesday that Tom Craig, 28, was reportedly caught trying to buy drugs and subsequently arrested.

Craig is an experienced hockey player having played 101 times for the Australian national team in his 10-year career.

He was part of the Australian team that won a silver medal at the postponed Tokyo 2020 Games and also won gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

The Paris prosecutor’s office said the deal allegedly took place on the night of August 6 to 7, adding that local police “arrested the seller, born in December 2006, and the buyer, born in September 1995 in Australia”.

The athlete, whose name has not yet been released by police, was reportedly arrested on Wednesday following a police operation in the northern Pigalle district of the French capital.

The player is alleged to be in possession of one gram of cocaine.

The arrest was first reported by French crime reporter Jean-Baptiste Marty, who works for radio network Europe1.

On Wednesday morning he posted on X: “A member of the Australian hockey team was arrested last night after buying cocaine on the street in the 9th arrondissement of Paris.”

“The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) has confirmed that a member of the Australian hockey team was arrested in Paris on 6 August,” a spokesperson said.

“No charges have been filed. The AOC continues to investigate and arrange support for the team member.”

The report also states that the drug dealer was arrested and found to be in possession of 75 ecstasy pills, three grams of metafedrone and seven bottles of cocaine.

Both Australian hockey teams were knocked out in the quarter-finals this week.

The women’s team lost 3-2 to China, while the men’s team lost 2-0 to the Netherlands.

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