The Rabbitohs star has been charged with illegal betting and drug supply after allegedly contacting a dealer to provide illegal substances to a former Roosters teammate.
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The Brandon Smith drug and betting allegations are set to have wide-ranging implications for the NRL, with the Sydney Roosters caught up in the Queensland Police investigation.
Sources with knowledge of the situation talking on the condition of anonymity due to the ongoing police investigation told this masthead that Smith allegedly reached out to a drug dealer to supply a Sydney Roosters teammate with illicit substances.
Smith, who was in Sydney on June 7 and still contracted to the Roosters when the incident occurred, was allegedly trying to buy drugs for a teammate who was away with fellow Roosters on the Sunshine Coast during a bye round.
This masthead has been told at least seven Roosters players travelled to the Sunshine Coast at the time of the incident in question for a golf weekend.
Sources speaking on the condition of anonymity told the
Herald investigators from Taskforce Maxima – which is responsible for targeting serious organised criminal gang activity in Queensland – saw Smith’s name when they were examining a target’s phone.
They uncovered information which forms the basis of the charges that Smith allegedly ordered drugs for friends and allegedly provided team information which, police allege, the dealer used to place bets.
The information was allegedly regarding the starting team and both Smith and Latrell Mitchell’s potential return from injury in round 18.
South Sydney said they had no plans to stand down Smith – who plans to defend the charges – from their final game of the NRL season – against the Roosters.
The NRL integrity unit has been made aware of the allegations and is liaising with Queensland Police and South Sydney.
However, sources speaking on the condition of anonymity given the matter is ongoing indicated the NRL was caught unaware by the news Smith had been charged when it broke on Monday.
Smith was questioned by police
before a game on the Gold Coast earlier this month, but released without charge.
“A 29-year-old man has been issued with a summons … for supplying dangerous drugs and using or disclosing inside knowledge for betting,” a police spokesman said in a statement.
The charges Smith is facing do not meet the threshold to trigger the NRL’s no-fault stand-down policy, which allows the game to stand down a player charged with offences that carry a maximum jail term of 11 years or more.
