FILE – A police officer walks past the Paris Olympics canvas during the 2024 Paris Olympics in Paris, France, on Saturday, July 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla, File)
French police have arrested Australian Olympic hockey player Tom Craig on suspicion of buying cocaine from a drug dealer in central Paris, police and prosecutors said on Wednesday.
Midfielder Craig, 28, last played for Australia during his side’s quarter-final loss to the Netherlands at the Paris Olympics on Sunday.
He was arrested about 12:30 a.m. Wednesday following a “cocaine transaction” near an apartment building, a police source said.
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He had about a gram of cocaine in his possession when he was arrested and was still in police custody Wednesday morning, the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The 17-year-old seller, who was carrying a variety of drugs including 75 ecstasy pills and synthetic drugs in addition to cocaine, was also arrested.
Prosecutors said the investigation had been handed over to the French police’s anti-narcotics brigade because of the large quantity of drugs recovered from the seller.
The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) has confirmed that a member of the Australian hockey team is “in custody” after being arrested in Paris on Tuesday.
“No charges have been laid,” it stressed. “The AOC is continuing enquiries and arranging assistance for the team member.”
The International Olympic Committee declined to comment on the arrest at its daily press conference.
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