Former A-League champion Caceres jailed for dealing meth

Former Melbourne Victory, Perth Glory, Central Coast Mariners and Wellington Phoenix midfielder Adrian Caceres has been jailed for 18 months after pleading guilty to dealing crystal meth.

Adrian Caceres in 2007 after winning the championship with Melbourne Victory. Source: Getty Images

Caceres, who played 101 times in the A-League across five seasons, admitted he had been using the drug during his playing career, starting when he was 21. 

His lawyer Louis Kristopher explained that his life had spiraled out of control after his career ended in 2015.

“As he moved from the profession of soccer and going into a relationship, and then trying to reintegrate into the real world and a job other than only playing soccer, made him use drugs,” Mr Kristopher said.

Caceres was caught with more than 11 grams of ice and 50 small snap-lock deal bags in 2017 in Perth. 

At the time he was on bail for breaching a violence restraining order. 

The now 37-year-old, who won the A-League championship-premiership double with Melbourne Victory in 2007, will be eligible for parole in nine months time. 

Judge Simon Stone ruled that Caceres was a "low-level user-dealer". 

“The quantity of the drugs, the number of clip seal bags ... indicate to me on the face of it, that your client is a low-level user-dealer for reward,” Judge Stone said.

“Methylamphetamine causes a significant amount of misery. Not only to the addicts but to the family of the addicts and to the community. Because it is so crime related.

“Most of the crimes that come before this court, most of the offending that comes before this court, is related to methylamphetamine use, or illicit substances, in one way or another.”