Detectives in Western Australia are on the "back foot" in any possible investigation into Wayne Carey because Crown Perth did not call police, the commissioner has said.
The AFL great was gambling at the casino when a zip lock bag containing white powder fell out of his pocket.
Carey, 51, later said the powder was not illegal and was actually an anti-inflammatory medication used for pain relief.
READ MORE: Wayne Carey insists bag of powder was not an illegal substance
He was reportedly banned from Crown venues for two years in response to the incident.
Police Commissioner Col Blanche told 6PR the casino should have let officers know of the incident at the time.
"If there was any suspicion by any person that there were drugs possessed … I would have expected a phone call to police to manage the matter," Blanche said.
Perth detectives are conducting an investigation and reviewing CCTV at the casino.
"We're on the back foot from the beginning because we didn't have the complaint at the time it occurred."
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Carey denied the white powder was illegal, saying it was just crushed up anti-inflammatory drugs he takes for pain-killing purposes.
"It was not an illegal substance, it was offered to security. Security didn't take it," Carey told The Age.
"They just said it's not a great look, I understood that, and we left without incident."
Carey is a two-time premiership-winning AFL great who played most of his career for North Melbourne.
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