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A member of the Australian Olympic field hockey team received a criminal warning in Paris after attempting to buy cocaine, prosecutors announced on Wednesday. This measure allowed for the athlete’s release from custody.
According to the Paris prosecutor’s office, police disrupted a drug transaction outside a building in Paris’s 9th arrondissement overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday. The case has now been handed over to a police anti-drug unit for further investigation.
The alleged buyer, identified only as a 28-year-old Australian field hockey player, and a 17-year-old alleged seller were both taken into custody. On Wednesday, the athlete appeared before a magistrate and was issued a criminal warning.
Under French law, a criminal warning serves as an alternative to prosecution for first-time offenders, provided they admit guilt and refrain from committing any crimes for the next two years.
Neither Australian officials nor Paris prosecutors disclosed the athlete’s name.
A spokesperson for the International Hockey Federation (FIH) declined to comment, stating that the organization had no information beyond the Australian Olympic Committee’s statement.
