Nathan Baggaley Sentenced to 9 years
After pleading guilty to charges of manufacturing and supplying 1,509 ecstasy tablets, former kayaking and surfski star Nathan Baggaley has been handed a nine year jail sentence. With time already served, he'll be eligible for parole in November 2012.
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Helping Out
The court was told that Baggaley's 27 year old brother Dru was the mastermind behind the operation and that Nathan had "helped out" on two drug deals while his younger brother was out of town.
The police investigation eventually netted at least 13,500 pills, Aus$62,520 in drug money and enough powder to make more than 160,000 additional tablets. An industrial pill press was seized from Nathan Baggaley's Byron Bay home.
Dru Baggaley was sentenced to 12 years' imprisonment with a non-parole period of 8 years.
Both men had their sentences reduced by 25% after submitting early guilty pleas. Dru Baggaley's sentence was further reduced by six years after he cooperated with police, according to judge James Black.
"Previous Ban Lead to Drug Dealing"
During sentencing submissions, Nathan Baggaley's lawyer said that the dual Olympic medal winner hadn't recovered from being banned for steroid use in 2005.
"From becoming a world champion, becoming an award winner... he'd done nothing else," lawyer John Weller said. "Suddenly his world was gone and he didn't address the issues."
Baggaley had won two silver medals at the Athens Olympics in 2004.
Baggaley came second at the 2005 Molokai Challenge behind Oscar Chalupsky.
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