Former Olympic Swimmer jailed over drugs

• Miller has been in custody since he pleaded guilty to supplying large commercial quantities of methamphetamine.
• He won the silver medal in Atlanta in 1996 at the Olympics Games.
• Character references drawn from Miller’s swimming coaches and friends show the struggles adjusting after the Olympics.

Scott Miller, the Former Olympian, has been sentenced to three years in jail for playing the central role in an NSW drug ring.

He won the silver medal in Atlanta in 1996 at the Olympics Games. Photo Paul Miller, AAP.

Miller was sentenced in the Downing Centre District Court for a term of up to five years plus six months, with a non-parole jail term of three years which should serve from the arrest date of his arrest in February 2021.

The 47-year athlete has been in custody since he pleaded guilty to supplying large commercial quantities of methamphetamine and the retail amount of heroin, taking part in a criminal group, and dealing with the crime.

He was arrested on February 16, 2021, after an intensive investigation by the police pinned him at the centre of the criminal group after his movements were tracked for several days, with tracking devices installed in his car.

In early 2021, Miller met an unidentified individual who placed a bag of candles with $2 million worth of methamphetamine in his vehicle, after which he hid the bag in a concealed compartment before driving off with his co-accused partner Wayne Allan Johnson to Yass.

Judge Penelope Hock cited Miller’s criminal history as consistent with a drug addict.

“He’s from a loving, supportive family and environment, but, at 15, he was selected to attend AIS in Canberra, where his mental health problems commenced”. Said Hock

He won the silver medal in Atlanta in 1996 at the Olympics Games, which seemed devastating for not winning the gold medal. Character references drawn from Miller’s swimming coaches and friends show the struggles adjusting after the Olympics.

“Miller’s problems with substance and depression call back to the sacrifices and pressures during his swimming career and the disappointment of not winning a gold medal when his purpose hinged on that one event,” one reference said.