Following Belgian star Radja Nainggolan's arrest on charges of drug trafficking on Monday, here are five footballers who faced similar charges.
Nainggolan made headlines for all the wrong reasons this week after his arrest as part of an investigation into cocaine trafficking was confirmed by the Brussels prosecutor's office, according to the Associated Press.
Brussels federal police are said to have conducted several sweeping raids yesterday morning, mainly in the province of Antwerp in Belgium.
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The prosecutor's office also revealed that their investigation was focused on the alleged importation of cocaine from South America via the port of Antwerp, as well as its redistribution in Belgium.
Nainggolan had come out of retirement last week and joined Lokeren-Temse in the Belgian second tier.
Lokeren issued a statement on their official website, stating: "The club learned through the media that player Radja Nainggolan would be questioned as part of an investigation. The club respects the presumption of innocence and can therefore not comment further. We can only confirm that the player was absent from training this morning."
However, the charges Nainggolan now faces are not too uncommon when it comes to footballers.
Another recent example of this was former Netherlands star Quincy Promes, who was found guilty by the Amsterdam District Court in February 2024 of complicity in cocaine smuggling in 2020, according to ESPN.
Promes, who now plays his football in Dubai, is yet to be arrested for his crimes as Dutch authorities are still seeking to extradite the player to serve a six-year term in prison in Holland.
In October 2024, former Ireland national team star Anthony Stokes was slapped with a 15-month jail sentence over a seizure of almost €4,000 worth of cocaine and a high-speed car chase in Dublin, as per The Irish Times.
It is also said that the retired star, who played for the likes of Arsenal, Celtic, and Sunderland, entered an additional guilty plea to possessing 86 illegal street tablets.
Also in 2024, retired Dutch footballer Ronnie Stam was on trial, accused of smuggling two tons of cocaine, according to The Sun.
A prosecutor said during the hearing: "This case concerns hundreds of kilos of cocaine each time. I contend that Stam was a major player in the drugs world."
Lastly, former Arsenal player Jay Emmanuel-Thomas was arrested at a London airport in September 2024 in connection with an alleged £600,000 (R13.9 million) drug bust, according to ESPN.
It is alleged that 60 kilograms of cannabis were found in two suitcases from a flight that landed in London from Bangkok, the capital of Thailand.
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By Lukhanyo Mtuta
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