Steve Michaels is due to face Southport Magistrates Court on November 16th after he was arrested upon his return to Brisbane last night, News AU reported.
The recently departed Hull Fc star faces 10 charges of supplying cocaine after he was allegedly part of an interstate drug syndicate during his time at the Gold Coast Titans.
This is thought to have involved transporting significant quantities of cocaine from Sydney to Gold Coast, with a warrant issued for Michaels' arrest in February 2015.
A number of Titans’ players were charged in 2015, with Toronto’s new signing Dave Taylor and former Leeds winger Joe Vickery fined $1000 after pleading guilty to the possession of cocaine.
Another former player Jamie Dowling was ordered to serve two years probation after pleading guilty to seven counts of possession of a dangerous drug.
Dowling also received a sentence of 200 hours community service and a $500 fine for being the middleman, facilitating the supply of a drug to a friend.
The scandal also included the likes Greg Bird, Beau Falloon, Ashley Harrison and Kalifa Faifai Loa; however, the allegations were dropped against these former Gold Coast players.
Wanted man
Michaels has been wanted by the Crime and Corruption Commission in relation to their investigation into drug trafficking since details emerged of the cocaine scandal nearly three years ago.
However, the 30-year-old hasn’t returned to his home country since signing for Super League outfit Hull FC ahead of the 2015 season, where he has played for the last three seasons.
In that time he has made over 70 appearances for the Black and Whites, scoring 30 tries and helping the club secure back-to-back Challenge Cup triumphs at Wembley.
It was announced that Michaels, who started his career with the Brisbane Broncos, would depart Hull at the end of the 2017 campaign after his contract came to an end.
This meant he would return to Australia and the Queenslander was arrested by Australian Border Officers at Brisbane Airport on Thursday night following his arrival from England.
Michaels granted bail, will contest charges
Michaels was granted bail and according to his lawyer Campbell MacCallum, he will contest the charges at Southport Magistrates Court in two weeks time.
According to The Gold Coast Bulletin, MacCallum said, “As per the success we had with a number of my other clients in the same scandal, with the same set of circumstances, I am confident we can continue the same strategy and have a successful outcome for the client.”