Ex-Olympian exits jail after drug charges

A former Olympic swimmer jailed for his “central role” in a Sydney meth and heroin ring will exit jail today after more than three years behind bars.

Scott Miller, 49, was sentenced to five years and six months in prison in late-2022 after pleading guilty to large-scale commercial drug supply.

The butterfly champion admitted to hauling $2.2m of meth with a co-accused 280km from Sydney to the regional town of Yass in 2021.

After three years in prison, the Parole Authority announced on Friday it had granted the 1996 Atlanta Olympiad release on parole.

In their judgment, NSW Community Corrections said Miller was assessed as being at a low-risk of reoffending and had continued tertiary studies behind bars.

“Mr Miller has a long history of substance abuse and appears to display some insight into this problematic behaviour,” Community Corrections reported.

They recommended Miller be released on supervised parole, including prohibitions on any drug use and no contact with his former co-offenders.

Miller broke into the world of international swimming at the 1994 Commonwealth Games, where he won in the butterfly and medley relay.

He went on to compete at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta where he set a new Olympic record for the time for the 100m butterfly.

Miller was awarded the silver medal, before returning to Australia in 1999 to briefly marry TV personality Charlotte Dawson.

The 49-year-old was initially denied parole in January after subsequent drug supply charges were laid and he was deemed an “unsentenced offender”.

Those matters were resolved in the NSW District Court last month, allowing the Olympian to again apply for release; this time, it was granted.