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Troubled AFL star Ben Cousins arrested again in Perth

He was allegedly found asleep by a car with drugs in his possession

Troubled former AFL star Ben Cousins has been arrested yet again after being found in possession of drugs, according to reports.

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WATCH: Ben Cousins arrested in Perth after allegedly being found with drugs

The 41-year-old is currently behind bars at the Perth watch house. He was arrested after police found him sleeping next to his car near Canning Highway in Perth’s south east. He was also reported to have been seen driving erratically earlier on in the day.

9News reports that the Brownlow Medallist was also found to be in possession of two and a half grams of methamphetamine.

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“Ben Cousins is right now in a holding cell here at the Perth watch house,” Nine reporter Jerrie Demasi said last night. “He was arrested, found sleeping, next to his car after reports of erratic driving.

“Police tell me a body search found 2.5 grams of methamphetamine.”

When police ran his details, they were alerted to the fact Cousins was wanted for questioning over a separate incident.

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Arguably one of the most talented AFL player’s Australia has ever produced, in 2006 Cousins was stripped of his captaincy after he ran from a booze bus after driving home from a friend’s wedding. While he was still focused on the field, in 2007 the club announced he was suspended indefinitely due to a substance abuse issue. While he returned to AFL, in October he was sacked by the club after being arrested on drug possession charges. He was subsequently registered for 12 months by the AFL.

After a stint in rehab, he announced his return to the AFL after the ban was lifted and began playing for Richmond. He played 32 games in two seasons before retiring.

While Ben was one of the most revered and respected athletes on the field, after dozens of run-ins with the law, his career came to a very sudden halt in 2011 with his manager confirming he had “lost direction” amid a number of serious scandals he was embroiled in.

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A little over a year later, Ben was arrested by police at Esperance Airport on suspicion of possession of drugs. He was immediately strip-searched and was found to have hidden methamphetamine in his anus. While he was only ordered to pay an $800 fine, less than a year later he was arrested and charged again for possession of cannabis and a smoking implement.

Then, in 2015, he was arrested for leading police on a slow-speed car chase along with breaching a violence restraining order and possessing methamphetamine. He was also detained by police after he scaled a roof to avoid being handcuffed.

While he was no doubt struggling with some serious mental health issues at the time, he hit rock bottom in February 2017 when he was charged with offences related to drugs, violence and stalking and was ordered to spend 12 months behind bars— six months for seven breaches of a violence restraining order and six months for aggravated stalking.

After his parole was denied and he was released from prison in January 2018, he was arrested again and charged with multiple offences including aggravated stalking and threatening to injure, endanger or harm.

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In July 2018, he was sent back to jail for failing a court-ordered drug test. He was released on bail in April 2019.

Last month, Cousins sat down for a tell-all interview for the Channel Seven documentary, Ben Cousins – Coming Clean. In it, the fallen sports star discussed his battle with drug addiction and claimed he wanted to turn his life around.

He is set to face court later today.

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