Pubdate: Sun, 25 Mar 2007
Source: Age, The (Australia)
Copyright: 2007 The Age Company Ltd
Contact:  http://www.theage.com.au/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/5
Author: Andrew Rule
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

POLICE TARGET FOOTY 'RAT-PACK'

ONE of Australian football's biggest stars is being investigated by 
drug squad police as part of a wide-ranging inquiry into a so-called 
"rat-pack" of sport, media and entertainment cocaine users.

And he is not an Eagle.

The former star of a Melbourne-based club has maintained a high 
profile in the media since his retirement from the game he played 
with distinction.

Persistent rumours of his links with a drug dealer have prompted 
detectives to monitor his activities in recent months.

The result, according to a well-placed source, is that the colourful 
football identity has unwittingly led investigators to the dealer, 
allowing them to gather evidence that will soon be used to lay charges.

It is understood police plan to recruit a third person known to the 
football identity to help an undercover detective to infiltrate a 
"rat-pack" of sporting and media people who use cocaine regularly.

"People in his (the football identity's) position should be careful 
what they tell the hairdresser," the source said. "Hairdressers do 
not tend to keep secrets under questioning."

The group reputedly buys thousands of dollars worth of the illicit 
drug from a favoured dealer each week. Police did not set out to 
target the members of the group but have used them to set a trap for 
the "dealer to the stars", the source said.

"The coppers haven't spoken to him just yet but he is high on the 
list," the source said. "It's called arrest by appointment: he will 
soon be invited in to the major drug investigation unit for a cup of 
tea and a teddy bear biscuit."

"He will then either be charged or will help the police with their 
inquiries into the dealer. The way to put pressure on the dealer is 
to put pressure on his customers and get them to lag him in. The drug 
squad will get statements from the customers to nail the big guy."

The high-profile cocaine user will be faced with either giving 
evidence against the dealer or risking charges himself.

The investigation uncovered the existence of the luxury "love boat" 
revealed by this newspaper's Spy column last week.

The multimillion-dollar pleasure craft is used for weekend cruises on 
the bay to which selected "guests" pay up to $5000 for unlimited 
cocaine and sex with escorts. Current and former AFL players and 
media "players" are believed to be among those who have used the boat.

The police investigation is the latest episode in a turbulent 
fortnight for football following revelations about the extent of drug 
abuse among AFL players, a scandal kept under wraps until this 
newspaper broke the story over the past two weeks.

The uproar over the admission that Eagles star and Brownlow medallist 
Ben Cousins is dangerously addicted to "ice" (crystal meth 
amphetamine) has affected football followers from the cheer squad to 
AFL headquarters and the Prime Minister's office.

Prime Minister John Howard said on Melbourne radio last week he 
favoured "zero tolerance" towards all illicit drugs inside or outside 
sport. And AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou used the AFL's season 
launch on Thursday to promise support for Cousins and his family for 
the player's rehabilitation.

The media frenzy over the story prompted speculation that several 
other West Coast players were in a similar situation to Cousins. The 
manager of one West Coast player was so concerned at rumours that he 
took the unusual step of contacting the The Sunday Age to say that if 
any story were published about his client without "stat decs, video 
evidence and an affidavit from his mother" then he would sue for damages.

West Coast coach John Worsfold revealed yesterday that Daniel Kerr 
was one of up to eight Eagles players who had admitted taking 
recreational drugs.

"I would suggest that it would be half a dozen, maybe eight players, 
that have admitted they have used an illicit drug -- but we are 
certainly not talking about drug problems," Worsfold said yesterday.
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