FORMER MALAGA striker Sergio Contreras Pardo, known as Koke, has reportedly been arrested after cops confiscated a TON of hashish as part of an alleged drug trafficking ring.
EuroWeekly claims, as first reported by ElConfidencial, that the Guardia Civil carried out 11 raids involving a total of 150 officers as part of a major operation across Spain.
Former Malaga star Koke was arrested this morning in Estepona
The striker was cuffed with his brother as part of huge-scale operation into drug trafficking in SpainCredit: Alamy
Koke, 36, was cuffed with his brother at his home in Estepona, with local reports alleging he is one of the leaders of the drug trafficking criminal network.
In total, 20 people were arrested in different parts of Andalusia, including detainees in Malaga, Estepona, the Granada town of Loja, and the Sevillian cities of Los Molares and Utrera.
The raids have been reported to have uncovered “significant amounts of cash”, as well as weapons and a ton of hashish, which is cannabis resin.
Koke came through the ranks at his hometown club Malaga, scoring on his debut, before embarking on a much-travelled career.
He had spells at Marseille, Sporting Lisbon, and Houston Dynamo in the MLS before spending his final years playing in India and then returning to Estepona.
But Koke was best known for his tenure at Greek outfit Aris, where he spent six years over two separate spells in Thessaloniki.
It was for the Super League side that the striker even enjoyed a brief cameo against Manchester City, in a 3-0 defeat during the Europa League round-of-32 in 2011.
On that day, Edin Dzeko netted twice in the opening 15 minutes before Yaya Toure scored a third, with Koke emerging from the bench during the second half.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
