The 41-year-old former St Kilda footballer faced the County Court of Victoria via video link on Thursday. He pleaded guilty to six charges,including,which carries a maximum sentence of life behind bars.
Fisher played more than 200 games for St Kilda.Sebastian Costanzo
Fisher was due to face trial next week,but an earlier hearing was told the former best and fairest award winner wanted to spend Easter with his family before deciding on whether to plead guilty or not guilty.
Appearing unshaven and wearing a partially unbuttoned white shirt,he ultimately pleaded guilty to trafficking a large commercial quantity of methamphetamine,trafficking cocaine and 1,4-Butanediol,and three counts of drug possession.
The court has previously heard West Australian police discovered a suspicious parcel destined for Victoria on April 20,2022,with $129,000 cash inside.
They traced the package to the original sender,a man named Julien Morvan.
During the investigation,the court heard police discovered communications between Fisher and Morvan which included instructions to Fisher to collect a kitchen rangehood from Moorabbin and to deliver it to a Hampton store connected to Morvan’s father,ahead of its ultimate planned postage to Western Australia. This masthead does not suggest Morvan’s father had any knowledge of what occurred.
Detectives later seized the oven rangehood,which had been bought online from Harvey Norman in WA. An examination of the appliance uncovered 996 grams of methamphetamine and 82 grams of cocaine.
Crown prosecutor Melissa Mahady said Morvan was dealt with in the Western Australian District Court in February 2023 for his part in the illicit operation and jailed for 5½ years.
Fisher was later charged over the transport of the drug-laden appliance and the movement of the drugs from the source to users.
The former AFL player was arrested on May 18,2022,and found with significant amounts of LSD,ketamine,testosterone and diazepam.
A court sketch of Fisher facing Melbourne Magistrates’ Court in 2022.Mollie McPherson,Nine News
During the court hearing last month,defence barrister Dermot Dann,KC,said his client had contributed to the community as a sportsman before his life deteriorated quickly.
Dann said the offending occurred at a time when Fisher’s property development plans collapsed amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Fisher then spiralled into drug use and moved in circles connected to Morvan,Dann said.
The court heard Fisher’s arrest had caused significant shame and he spent 105 days in an inpatient drug rehabilitation facility.
Fisher completed the program and had clean drug screens,but Dann conceded his client had also received a fine for drug-driving during that time.
Fisher is due to return to court for a plea hearing on April 29. He remains on bail.
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