Ex-Australian Football Player Tried Killing Drug Habits with Bitcoin Trading

Mark “Bomber” Thompson, a former premiership coach in the Australian Football League (AFL), has admitted to abusing drugs and trading cryptocurrency.

According to Thompson, quitting professional football made him depressed, so he channeled all his energy into high-risk crypto speculation, reports SMH  on June 26, 2019.

Bomber Addicted to Ice

Per the report, Mark “Bomber” Thompson has admitted to abusing crystal methamphetamine to mask the pain caused by his leave from Essendon Football Club due to baned supplements scandal surrounding him.

The scandal began in January 2018 when illegal substances were allegedly found in his home in Port Melbourne following numerous raids by the police.

While speaking in the Melbourne Magistrates Court on June 26, 2019, Bomber revealed that the case left him in a “bad way.”

He also recounted how leaving professional sports led to isolating himself in his home where he spent 12 hours daily learning to trade cryptocurrency through YouTube tutorial videos in a bid overcome depression. The former athlete reportedly lost up to $3 million trading bitcoin.

“Here I am in 2017 at home. I found cryptocurrency, your Honour. It’s something I’d been looking for in my life. [Bitcoin] is still going to be a big thing. I’m a believer,” he said.

Despite admitting to taking hard drugs, Bomber claims that he never sold or had the intention to sell the illegal substances despite being tempted to abuse lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), a hallucinogenic drug. He reportedly did not have the “guts” to do so.

Partners in Crime

The ex-athlete also revealed the identity of Thomas Windsor, a convicted drug trafficker from Geelong, Australia who came knocking on his door during his struggle.

The duo became friends and began living together in Thompson’s converted warehouse before their arrest in January 2018.

The police claimed they found several illegal substances including 481 ecstasy tablets, two sets of digital scales, four ice pipes, eight hard drives, a shoe box containing clear resealable bags in different parts of Thompson’s home.

As a result of the discovery, the 53-year-old has been charged with three counts of trafficking ecstasy and ice, and four for possession.

Peter Matthews, Thomspon’s lawyer, argued that the drugs found in his client’s home were not his, but Windsor’s and there was also no proof that his client had the intention to traffic the illicit substances discovered in his home.

Bomber has been released on bail, and the matter will be reopened in July 2019.

In related news, BTCManager informed on May 8, 2019,  that Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had arrested individuals allegedly involved in the running of a darknet marketplace where all sorts of illegal goods are sold.