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    Boxing legend Chris Eubank’s unemployed son Joseph forced to rely on ‘family help’ to pay £254 drug-driving fine

    CHRIS Eubank’s unemployed son is being forced to rely on “family help” to pay for a £254 drug-driving fine.Joseph Eubank, youngest son of the boxing legend, pleaded guilty after denying he was a danger to other road users.
    Chris Eubank with his sons Joseph, left, and Chris Jr, rightCredit: Twitter
    The boxing legend has five childrenCredit: Rex
    Magistrates in Brighton banned him from driving for a year.
    Dressed in a black designer T-shirt and jeans, Eubank, who represented himself in court, stood in the dock and told magistrates: “On that date I was not a danger to anyone on the road.
    “I was not intoxicated, and I did not feel intoxicated.
    “But, in black and white, I am guilty.”
    The court heard that traffic police tested the 25-year-old for drugs after he looked “quite relaxed” when they pulled him over for a broken light in Middle Street, Brighton, at 10pm on October 25, 2021.
    Melanie Wotton, prosecuting, told Brighton magistrates that police did not believe he performed well in impairment tests.
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    She said: “When he was stopped, it was due to a defective light. However, when he did not perform well in the impairment tests he was arrested.”
    A test found he had a reading of 2.8 for cannabis in his blood.
    The limit for Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol – the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis – is two.
    Eubank, of Hill Drive, Brighton, had pleaded not guilty at an earlier hearing but he later “disengaged” from his defence team, the court heard.
    The court had previously warned Eubank that he would have to pay the costs of extra tests and witnesses if he was found guilty of drug driving.
    ‘WITH FAMILY HELP, SIR’
    Wotton told the court the crown accepted there was an indication to plead guilty shortly after the first hearing but the case had still managed to progress through the criminal justice system leading to a trial date of June 23.
    “The crown accepts that he intended to enter a not guilty plea at an early date,” she said. “All witnesses in this case had been dewarned.”
    In trying to decide a financial penalty for the offence, magistrates asked Eubank what he did for a living.
    He told them he was intending to start a food truck business but was currently unemployed.
    Fining him £135, and ordering him to pay costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £34, Alistair Worsley, chairman of the bench, asked the defendant how he would be able to pay the £254 as he was currently not working.
    To which Eubank replied from the dock: “With family help, sir.”
    Last year another of Chris Eubank’s sons tragically died of a “massive heart attack” while watching the sunset.
    Sebastian was found dead in Dubai in July 2021 just days before his 30th birthday, and a coroner has now reported evidence of a pre-existing heart condition that the boxer was unaware of.
    Sebastian – the third oldest of Eubank’s five children – was born in Brighton in East Sussex before moving to UAE around seven years ago.
    Following in his dad’s footsteps, Sebastian made his MMA debut in 2020.
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.nk-headline-heading{color:rgba(71,30,121,1);}.css-1uyse24:before{content:”;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;left:0;overflow:hidden;position:absolute;z-index:1;}.css-xpuujo{border-width:0 1px 1px 1px;border-style:solid;border-color:rgba(149,199,208,1);padding:12px;max-height:104px;min-height:98px;}.css-tqcu81{padding:0;border-width:0 1px 1px 1px;border-style:solid;border-color:rgba(149,199,208,1);padding:12px;max-height:104px;min-height:98px;}.css-124tga5{overflow:hidden;-webkit-line-clamp:3;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;display:-webkit-box;word-wrap:break-word;line-height:1;}.css-5jzxpx{overflow:hidden;-webkit-line-clamp:3;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;display:-webkit-box;word-wrap:break-word;line-height:1;}.css-bq4915{margin:0;padding:0;color:rgba(34,97,108,1);text-transform:uppercase;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;font-family:The Sun;font-size:18px;line-height:1.333;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:normal;display:inline;}.css-bq4915:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}BAFFLING .css-8h3gc3{margin:0;padding:0;color:rgba(34,37,38,1);-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;font-family:The Sun;font-size:18px;line-height:1.333;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:normal;display:inline;}.css-8h3gc3:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}Coronation Street fans stunned by age gap between Audrey and Gail actresses
    Chris Eubank Sr held the WBO middleweight and super-middleweight titles between 1990 and 1995.
    His brother Chris Jr is also a professional boxer and has fought the likes of Billy Joe Saunders and George Groves. More

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    Mike Tyson reveals he wished he smoked weed when boxing as it would’ve made him a better fighter – but preferred cocaine

    MIKE TYSON has revealed he wished he had smoked weed during his boxing career.The former world heavyweight champion, 55, has frequently smoked cannabis on camera since retiring from the sport in 2005.
    Tyson has spoken openly about smoking cannabisCredit: Instagram
    Tyson has now claimed he wished he had smoked weed during his boxing careerCredit: Revolt / YouTube
    Now he feels he should have been smoking weed during his fighting days – but didn’t because he preferred cocaine.
    Speaking to Revolt, he said: “I should have been smoking while I was fighting.
    “I would have been such a better fighter. There was one time where I did fight with cannabis and I broke the guy’s back, I busted his spleen, broke his eye socket. I just did a number. And I was high.”
    He then turned to the live crowd and added: “There may be some children in here and I don’t advise you to get high while participating in sports.”
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    Tyson was then quizzed on what else he was taking during his boxing career.
    To which he replied: “Oh, cocaine. I’m a junkie, a born junkie.”
    He continued: “[Weed] was too mild baby, I’m too extreme. I was either the junkie or the monk.
    “I’m not a balanced person – no way, no way. I might kill myself if I get balanced, s**t. Don’t do that, Mike.”
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    Tyson made a brief return to the ring in 2020 when he took on Roy Jones Jr in an eight-round exhibition.
    And he has stated his desire to partake in another fight in the future.
    The youngest ever heavyweight champ recently admitted he is open to the idea of taking on YouTuber Jake Paul.
    Speaking about a bout against the 5-0 internet star, Tyson said: “That could be really interesting. He’s skilled enough, I’m going to give it him, he’s skilled enough because he keeps winning.
    “Even if he is fighting fighters that aren’t meant to be good enough, they should still be beating him but they can’t. He is beating people that he shouldn’t really be beating so you have to give him credit.
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    “He is doing good and he is doing things that are great for boxing. This guy has seven million people following him every time he fights.
    “The champions of the world don’t have that many people following him so what he is doing for boxing is sensational.” More

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    Ecuador’s leading scorer is arrested and thrown in jail on suspicion of being in murderous drug-trafficking gang

    ECUADOR’S leading goalscorer has been arrested and thrown in jail on suspicion of belonging to a criminal gang accused of murder and drug-trafficking.Gabriel Cortez, the country’s top marksman so far this season with seven goals in nine games, was held at his home in the early hours on Friday and flown by helicopter to the coastal city of Esmeraldas for a court hearing.
    Gabriel Cortez has been arrested on suspicion of belonging to a criminal gang accused of murder and drug-traffickingCredit: Getty
    The 26-year-old, who plays for Barcelona Sporting Club in Ecuador’s top-flight Serie A league, was languishing behind bars today after being remanded in prison along with 17 other suspects arrested in the police operation.
    Cortez’s lawyer insisted the arrest of his client, who played on Thursday in a 1-0 home defeat against Gualaceo, was “unjust”.
    But Ecuador’s Interior Minister Patricio Carrillo, confirming three serving police officers were also among those held in the operation against a gang called Los Tiguerones, said of the footballer: “We don’t think he just belongs to Los Tiguerones.
    “We also believe he was the person that ordered and received the information about the people hitmen had deprived of life.”
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SPORT.css-1gojmfd{margin-bottom:16px;}.css-gmec1d{display:-webkit-inline-box;display:-webkit-inline-flex;display:-ms-inline-flexbox;display:inline-flex;height:auto;-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;-webkit-align-content:center;-ms-flex-line-pack:center;align-content:center;-webkit-box-flex-wrap:nowrap;-webkit-flex-wrap:nowrap;-ms-flex-wrap:nowrap;flex-wrap:nowrap;-webkit-flex-direction:row;-ms-flex-direction:row;flex-direction:row;-webkit-box-pack:start;-ms-flex-pack:start;-webkit-justify-content:flex-start;justify-content:flex-start;margin-left:calc(-20px/2);margin-right:calc(-20px/2);}.css-fh9577{display:-webkit-inline-box;display:-webkit-inline-flex;display:-ms-inline-flexbox;display:inline-flex;margin-left:calc(20px/2);margin-right:calc(20px/2);}.css-65fvqt{max-width:302px;max-height:294px;}.css-1exhbll{box-sizing:border-box;overflow:hidden;background-color:rgba(237,245,242,1);-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;position:relative;display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-flex-direction:column;-ms-flex-direction:column;flex-direction:column;max-width:302px;max-height:294px;}.css-bk55po{box-sizing:border-box;display:block;position:relative;margin-bottom:0;}.css-1shocxe{box-sizing:border-box;}.css-1a2irou{box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;}.css-1a2irou 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.nk-headline-heading{color:rgba(71,30,121,1);}.css-1uyse24:before{content:”;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;left:0;overflow:hidden;position:absolute;z-index:1;}.css-n392go{border-width:0 1px 1px 1px;border-style:solid;border-color:rgba(155,201,183,1);padding:12px;max-height:104px;min-height:98px;}.css-1p5s3t0{padding:0;border-width:0 1px 1px 1px;border-style:solid;border-color:rgba(155,201,183,1);padding:12px;max-height:104px;min-height:98px;}.css-124tga5{overflow:hidden;-webkit-line-clamp:3;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;display:-webkit-box;word-wrap:break-word;line-height:1;}.css-5jzxpx{overflow:hidden;-webkit-line-clamp:3;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;display:-webkit-box;word-wrap:break-word;line-height:1;}.css-i1acvs{margin:0;padding:0;color:rgba(34,99,73,1);text-transform:uppercase;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;font-family:The 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    Barcelona Sporting Club, the most successful football team in Ecuador with a record 16 league wins, said in a statement after Cortez was pictured after his arrest alongside heavily-armed police officers: “In light of what has occurred with one of our players, we will respect the procedures and investigations carried out by the organs of justice.
    “We would also stress that activities players, staff and executives carry out in their private lives are separate to the institution and therefore the club has no responsibility in this matter.
    “We will continue to closely follow this process and await the decisions taken by the judiciary with a view to taking the corresponding measures at an opportune time.”
    Weapons, ammunition, three vehicles and drugs were seized during 29 searches carried out in Esmeraldas and other locations.
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    Police chief Carlos Cabreras described Los Tiguerones as a criminal gang whose illegal activities include drug and weapons trafficking, murder and extortion.
    He also said they had links to a shadowy group responsible for killing journalists.
    Cortez, better known by his nickname Loco Cortez – which literally means Madman Cortez, was filmed being escorted in handcuffs by police officers as he was led away from the chopper that flew him to his court hearing.
    THe four-capped international said nothing as he kept his head down under a baseball cap. His mugshot photo was later made available to local press.
    Cortez’s lawyer said after his arrest: “State prosecutors asked for an arrest warrant for investigative reasons, indicating that my client was the suspected manager of a criminal organisation so they could proceed with his detention.
    “However when it came to the court hearing following his arrest, they changed their story completely and said he wasn’t the leader but had simply received two telephone calls and listened to what was said.
    “They are not phone calls in which he gives an order and it can be established that he has committed a crime.”
    Midfielder Cortez has also played for Brazilian top-flight side Botafogo as well as Independiente del Valle and Emelec in his homeland.
    He was suspended from Ecuador’s Serie A league, also known as the Liga Pro, in 2017 for calling a referee a “son of a b***h” during a barrage of insults. 
    He also got himself into trouble at Rio de Janeiro-based Botafogo for insulting the team during an Instagram Live and praising the club’s eternal rivals Flamengo. More

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    Football thugs high on cocaine fuelling terrifying surge in violence – with the drug found at every stadium we tested

    FOOTBALL thugs high on cocaine are fuelling a terrifying surge in violence at stadiums, a Sun investigation has found.Every ground we swabbed had traces of the class A drug, which sparked the shameful scenes at Wembley in July’s showpiece Euro 2020 final.
    Sun reporter Liam Coleman holding up a cocaine detection wipe at an Arsenal game at Emirates stadium
    Police chiefs are now calling for tougher punishments for cocaine users at grounds — including more use of bans — to prevent a return to the hooliganism seen in the 1980s.
    Britain’s top football cop, Chief Constable Mark Roberts, warned that more fans than ever were ­taking the drug at games, creating a “toxic mix” of violence.
    He said: “As we see more violent incidents, cocaine is one of those factors along with alcohol that will make it worse, and make people more violent.”
    One supporter also said cocaine at football was so rife that fans even snort it in their seats.
    We discovered lines had been racked up on top of loo roll holders at Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea, while our reporter was offered “charlie” outside a Brighton match earlier this month.
    At The Etihad — home of Premier League champions Manchester City — empty drug bags and one containing cocaine were found on a cubicle floor. Traces of the drug were also found on top of toilets at Arsenal’s Emirates stadium.
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    Our findings come after an FA report last month revealed cocaine was the catalyst for thousands of ticketless fans storming Wembley for the England-Italy Euro final.
    Fans were openly snorting the drug at the showpiece event, with one yob bragging to The Sun how he put a lit flare in his bum during a 15-hour drug-fuelled bender.
    Charlie Perry, 25, boasted how he had “banged a load of powder” during the big day and was then filmed firing off the flare in footage that went viral.
    Just before the pandemic, cocaine binges were blamed for a 45 per cent increase in trouble at football grounds over the previous two years — including violence, pitch invasions and assaults on players.
    However, cops and fans say more coke than ever is being snorted at grounds — which was backed up by our probe. Sun reporter Liam Coleman used cocaine detection wipes on surfaces in loos at Man City, Spurs, Brighton, Chelsea and Arsenal this month — with 44 out of the 58 swabbed cubicles testing positive for cocaine.
    Mr Roberts told The Sun clubs are looking at installing specialist surfaces in toilets to make it harder to take drugs, as well as bringing in more sniffer dogs.
    MORE COCAINE THAN EVER
    However, the officer — head of football policing for England and Wales — admitted it was tough to catch users.
    He said: “Cocaine is now more common in broader society than ever before, and that includes football clubs and football fans.
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    “It’s an issue with society, but that being said it is then clearly going to impact football as well.
    “Where people are high on emotions which you do get in football, and then you add in cocaine use, that’s a pretty toxic mix as how people behave and it often leads to extreme violence.”
    He wants a Football Banning Order for anyone caught with drugs in a ground. Breaching one of those is a criminal offence, punishable by up to six months in prison.
    There are currently around 1,400 orders active across the UK, but Mr Roberts believes a bigger push would see a drop in drug use.
    It’s really difficult to police, frankly, unless you do full-body searches on peopleChief Constable Mark Roberts
    However, he added: “It’s really difficult to police, frankly, unless you do full-body searches on people, and then you’re still probably not going to find it anyway.
    “It’s something that’s easy to smuggle into the ground.
    “People can discreetly take it, probably easier than drinking a pint, so the hope will be we work with clubs and identify measures to make it just a bit harder for fans to take drugs.
    “Whether that is putting liquids on toilet cisterns, having regular checks and sniffer dogs at every ground.” Recommendations from the Euro 2020 report included stronger police powers against the use of illegal drugs.
    The independent review by ­former Government drugs tsar ­Baroness Casey slammed the thousands of football fans “fuelled by alcohol and drugs”.
    Experts at Oxford University have confirmed that cocaine use makes supporters more aggressive at football matches.
    ‘DOING BUMPS IN THE STANDS’
    One survey revealed that more than 30 per cent of fans had witnessed cocaine being taken inside a stadium — with six per cent admitting to personal use.
    However, drug possession or use was reported at only 103 of 2,663 regulated matches in England and Wales over the entire 2019-20 season, with the vast majority — 81 per cent — involving cocaine.
    Despite clubs promising tougher measures on stopping drugs being brought into grounds, one fan claimed cocaine usage was rife before and during games.
    The supporter, who does not want to be named, told The Sun: “You see huge queues in the toilets, you see them doing bumps off keys in the stands, or just off their hands. It’s everywhere.
    “I’ve never known it like this before, and it just feels like it’s getting worse and worse.”
    All the clubs where we found traces of drugs told The Sun they condemned use. Several Premier League clubs, including Arsenal, said they had sniffer dogs in place at every match and that fans were searched using security wands before entering the ground.
    Another Premier League club said they use dogs outside away turnstiles for every game and on occasions outside home turnstiles.
    Ground regulations clearly state that drugs are prohibited and measures such as detection dogs are used frequently to combat itPremier League Spokesperson
    Bosses at Tottenham Hotspur described the drug issue as a “societal problem” and that it took a zero-tolerance approach to drugs in the stadium.
    The club, where a fan was photographed appearing to snort a line of cocaine on the pitch in 2017, also said it works closely with the Metropolitan Police on drug-related issues, and anyone found with illegal substances are banned.
    Meanwhile, bosses at Brighton and Hove Albion said it was “increasingly concerned” about the use of cocaine at matches.
    The club added: “We will continue to take all necessary and possible steps to prevent any illegal substance coming into our stadium, and we will continue to impose very severe sanctions on anyone found to be carrying or using any illegal substance in or around our stadium.”
    The Premier League said it also condemns the use of drugs at stadiums, and its clubs are working alongside police to tackle the problem. A spokesman said: “Possession or use of cocaine is a criminal offence and can result in a football banning order. Ground regulations clearly state that drugs are prohibited and measures such as detection dogs are used frequently to combat it.
    “Our clubs continue to work closely with police on this issue.”
    Coke & booze go hand in hand with violence
    FANS can spend up to £300 a week on drugs for each match, one Premier League club supporter said.
    The season ticket-holder, who wanted his identity hidden, said: “Class As are becoming more prevalent, there’s more of a buzz for it these days. It’s beers, as much coke as possible, everyone is bang on it.
    “It’s the only thing that will straighten you out after a day on the booze, it’s what you need.
    “You don’t want pills, you will start loving people. Coke and booze go hand in hand with violence, it’s what we all want.
    “It’s also just the nature of the football. You get boozed up all day, and then do the gear.”
    The fan added: “They get it in bulk. If it’s a home game then you’re more likely to get a few grams in, but away days you’re talking lots more.
    “I know blokes who go with their kids and they still do it.
    “It’s so easy to get it both inside and outside the ground
    “Football is like going clubbing but during the day, and spending all day with close pals and they share the same passions, which bring you closer together.
    “If you’re all sharing the gear and the booze, then it brings you closer together.
    “Unless they get sent behind bars for years like they did with the hooligans, it’s not going to make a blind bit of difference.”

    We found traces of coke in ten of 14 toilet cubicles in the South Stand of the Eithad Stadium during Man City v Leeds, Dec 14
    During a Chelsea game against Everton on December 16, five out of the six loo-roll holders wiped in the Matthew Harding Lower Stand in Standford Bridge went blue, meaning cocaine was present
    Eleven of 14 toilets had traces of cocaine with lines on roll holders in the bathrooms at Tottenham stadium
    Five of six cubicles in the West Stand at Brighton’s Amex stadium had traces of cocaine – our reporter was also offered drugs
    Stewards replace barricades after they were knocked over by supporters outside Wembley Stadium in London, during the Euro 2020 final match between England and Italy, on July 11, 2021Credit: AP
    Moment England hero Harry Maguire’s dad’s ribs were broken in a horror crush during the security meltdown at the Euro 2020 Final at Wembley More

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    Football thugs high on cocaine fuelling terrifying surge in violence – with the drug found at every stadium tested

    FOOTBALL thugs high on cocaine are fuelling a terrifying surge in violence at stadiums, a Sun investigation has found.Every ground we swabbed had traces of the class A drug, which sparked the shameful scenes at Wembley in July’s showpiece Euro 2020 final.
    Sun reporter Liam Coleman holding up a cocaine detection wipe at an Arsenal game at Emirates stadium
    Police chiefs are now calling for tougher punishments for cocaine users at grounds — including more use of bans — to prevent a return to the hooliganism seen in the 1980s.
    Britain’s top football cop, Chief Constable Mark Roberts, warned that more fans than ever were ­taking the drug at games, creating a “toxic mix” of violence.
    He said: “As we see more violent incidents, cocaine is one of those factors along with alcohol that will make it worse, and make people more violent.”
    One supporter also said cocaine at football was so rife that fans even snort it in their seats.
    We discovered lines had been racked up on top of loo roll holders at Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea, while our reporter was offered “charlie” outside a Brighton match earlier this month.
    At The Etihad — home of Premier League champions Manchester City — empty drug bags and one containing cocaine were found on a cubicle floor. Traces of the drug were also found on top of toilets at Arsenal’s Emirates stadium.
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    Our findings come after an FA report last month revealed cocaine was the catalyst for thousands of ticketless fans storming Wembley for the England-Italy Euro final.
    Fans were openly snorting the drug at the showpiece event, with one yob bragging to The Sun how he put a lit flare in his bum during a 15-hour drug-fuelled bender.
    Charlie Perry, 25, boasted how he had “banged a load of powder” during the big day and was then filmed firing off the flare in footage that went viral.
    Just before the pandemic, cocaine binges were blamed for a 45 per cent increase in trouble at football grounds over the previous two years — including violence, pitch invasions and assaults on players.
    However, cops and fans say more coke than ever is being snorted at grounds — which was backed up by our probe. Sun reporter Liam Coleman used cocaine detection wipes on surfaces in loos at Man City, Spurs, Brighton, Chelsea and Arsenal this month — with 44 out of the 58 swabbed cubicles testing positive for cocaine.
    Mr Roberts told The Sun clubs are looking at installing specialist surfaces in toilets to make it harder to take drugs, as well as bringing in more sniffer dogs.
    MORE COCAINE THAN EVER
    However, the officer — head of football policing for England and Wales — admitted it was tough to catch users.
    He said: “Cocaine is now more common in broader society than ever before, and that includes football clubs and football fans.
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    “It’s an issue with society, but that being said it is then clearly going to impact football as well.
    “Where people are high on emotions which you do get in football, and then you add in cocaine use, that’s a pretty toxic mix as how people behave and it often leads to extreme violence.”
    He wants a Football Banning Order for anyone caught with drugs in a ground. Breaching one of those is a criminal offence, punishable by up to six months in prison.
    There are currently around 1,400 orders active across the UK, but Mr Roberts believes a bigger push would see a drop in drug use.
    It’s really difficult to police, frankly, unless you do full-body searches on peopleChief Constable Mark Roberts
    However, he added: “It’s really difficult to police, frankly, unless you do full-body searches on people, and then you’re still probably not going to find it anyway.
    “It’s something that’s easy to smuggle into the ground.
    “People can discreetly take it, probably easier than drinking a pint, so the hope will be we work with clubs and identify measures to make it just a bit harder for fans to take drugs.
    “Whether that is putting liquids on toilet cisterns, having regular checks and sniffer dogs at every ground.” Recommendations from the Euro 2020 report included stronger police powers against the use of illegal drugs.
    The independent review by ­former Government drugs tsar ­Baroness Casey slammed the thousands of football fans “fuelled by alcohol and drugs”.
    Experts at Oxford University have confirmed that cocaine use makes supporters more aggressive at football matches.
    ‘DOING BUMPS IN THE STANDS’
    One survey revealed that more than 30 per cent of fans had witnessed cocaine being taken inside a stadium — with six per cent admitting to personal use.
    However, drug possession or use was reported at only 103 of 2,663 regulated matches in England and Wales over the entire 2019-20 season, with the vast majority — 81 per cent — involving cocaine.
    Despite clubs promising tougher measures on stopping drugs being brought into grounds, one fan claimed cocaine usage was rife before and during games.
    The supporter, who does not want to be named, told The Sun: “You see huge queues in the toilets, you see them doing bumps off keys in the stands, or just off their hands. It’s everywhere.
    “I’ve never known it like this before, and it just feels like it’s getting worse and worse.”
    All the clubs where we found traces of drugs told The Sun they condemned use. Several Premier League clubs, including Arsenal, said they had sniffer dogs in place at every match and that fans were searched using security wands before entering the ground.
    Another Premier League club said they use dogs outside away turnstiles for every game and on occasions outside home turnstiles.
    Ground regulations clearly state that drugs are prohibited and measures such as detection dogs are used frequently to combat itPremier League Spokesperson
    Bosses at Tottenham Hotspur described the drug issue as a “societal problem” and that it took a zero-tolerance approach to drugs in the stadium.
    The club, where a fan was photographed appearing to snort a line of cocaine on the pitch in 2017, also said it works closely with the Metropolitan Police on drug-related issues, and anyone found with illegal substances are banned.
    Meanwhile, bosses at Brighton and Hove Albion said it was “increasingly concerned” about the use of cocaine at matches.
    The club added: “We will continue to take all necessary and possible steps to prevent any illegal substance coming into our stadium, and we will continue to impose very severe sanctions on anyone found to be carrying or using any illegal substance in or around our stadium.”
    The Premier League said it also condemns the use of drugs at stadiums, and its clubs are working alongside police to tackle the problem. A spokesman said: “Possession or use of cocaine is a criminal offence and can result in a football banning order. Ground regulations clearly state that drugs are prohibited and measures such as detection dogs are used frequently to combat it.
    “Our clubs continue to work closely with police on this issue.”
    Coke & booze go hand in hand with violence
    FANS can spend up to £300 a week on drugs for each match, one Premier League club supporter said.
    The season ticket-holder, who wanted his identity hidden, said: “Class As are becoming more prevalent, there’s more of a buzz for it these days. It’s beers, as much coke as possible, everyone is bang on it.
    “It’s the only thing that will straighten you out after a day on the booze, it’s what you need.
    “You don’t want pills, you will start loving people. Coke and booze go hand in hand with violence, it’s what we all want.
    “It’s also just the nature of the football. You get boozed up all day, and then do the gear.”
    The fan added: “They get it in bulk. If it’s a home game then you’re more likely to get a few grams in, but away days you’re talking lots more.
    “I know blokes who go with their kids and they still do it.
    “It’s so easy to get it both inside and outside the ground
    “Football is like going clubbing but during the day, and spending all day with close pals and they share the same passions, which bring you closer together.
    “If you’re all sharing the gear and the booze, then it brings you closer together.
    “Unless they get sent behind bars for years like they did with the hooligans, it’s not going to make a blind bit of difference.”

    We found traces of coke in ten of 14 toilet cubicles in the South Stand of the Eithad Stadium during Man City v Leeds, Dec 14
    During a Chelsea game against Everton on December 16, five out of the six loo-roll holders wiped in the Matthew Harding Lower Stand in Standford Bridge went blue, meaning cocaine was present
    Eleven of 14 toilets had traces of cocaine with lines on roll holders in the bathrooms at Tottenham stadium
    Five of six cubicles in the West Stand at Brighton’s Amex stadium had traces of cocaine – our reporter was also offered drugs
    Stewards replace barricades after they were knocked over by supporters outside Wembley Stadium in London, during the Euro 2020 final match between England and Italy, on July 11, 2021Credit: AP
    Moment England hero Harry Maguire’s dad’s ribs were broken in a horror crush during the security meltdown at the Euro 2020 Final at Wembley More

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    Football thugs high on cocaine fuelling terrifying surge in violence at stadiums

    FOOTBALL thugs high on cocaine are fuelling a terrifying surge in violence at stadiums, a Sun investigation has found.Every ground we swabbed had traces of the class A drug, which sparked the shameful scenes at Wembley in July’s showpiece Euro 2020 final.
    Sun reporter Liam Coleman holding up a cocaine detection wipe at an Arsenal game at Emirates stadium
    Police chiefs are now calling for tougher punishments for cocaine users at grounds — including more use of bans — to prevent a return to the hooliganism seen in the 1980s.
    Britain’s top football cop, Chief Constable Mark Roberts, warned that more fans than ever were ­taking the drug at games, creating a “toxic mix” of violence.
    He said: “As we see more violent incidents, cocaine is one of those factors along with alcohol that will make it worse, and make people more violent.”
    One supporter also said cocaine at football was so rife that fans even snort it in their seats.
    We discovered lines had been racked up on top of loo roll holders at Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea, while our reporter was offered “charlie” outside a Brighton match earlier this month.
    At The Etihad — home of Premier League champions Manchester City — empty drug bags and one containing cocaine were found on a cubicle floor. Traces of the drug were also found on top of toilets at Arsenal’s Emirates stadium.
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    Our findings come after an FA report last month revealed cocaine was the catalyst for thousands of ticketless fans storming Wembley for the England-Italy Euro final.
    Fans were openly snorting the drug at the showpiece event, with one yob bragging to The Sun how he put a lit flare in his bum during a 15-hour drug-fuelled bender.
    Charlie Perry, 25, boasted how he had “banged a load of powder” during the big day and was then filmed firing off the flare in footage that went viral.
    Just before the pandemic, cocaine binges were blamed for a 45 per cent increase in trouble at football grounds over the previous two years — including violence, pitch invasions and assaults on players.
    However, cops and fans say more coke than ever is being snorted at grounds — which was backed up by our probe. Sun reporter Liam Coleman used cocaine detection wipes on surfaces in loos at Man City, Spurs, Brighton, Chelsea and Arsenal this month — with 44 out of the 58 swabbed cubicles testing positive for cocaine.
    Mr Roberts told The Sun clubs are looking at installing specialist surfaces in toilets to make it harder to take drugs, as well as bringing in more sniffer dogs.
    MORE COCAINE THAN EVER
    However, the officer — head of football policing for England and Wales — admitted it was tough to catch users.
    He said: “Cocaine is now more common in broader society than ever before, and that includes football clubs and football fans.
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    “It’s an issue with society, but that being said it is then clearly going to impact football as well.
    “Where people are high on emotions which you do get in football, and then you add in cocaine use, that’s a pretty toxic mix as how people behave and it often leads to extreme violence.”
    He wants a Football Banning Order for anyone caught with drugs in a ground. Breaching one of those is a criminal offence, punishable by up to six months in prison.
    There are currently around 1,400 orders active across the UK, but Mr Roberts believes a bigger push would see a drop in drug use.
    It’s really difficult to police, frankly, unless you do full-body searches on peopleChief Constable Mark Roberts
    However, he added: “It’s really difficult to police, frankly, unless you do full-body searches on people, and then you’re still probably not going to find it anyway.
    “It’s something that’s easy to smuggle into the ground.
    “People can discreetly take it, probably easier than drinking a pint, so the hope will be we work with clubs and identify measures to make it just a bit harder for fans to take drugs.
    “Whether that is putting liquids on toilet cisterns, having regular checks and sniffer dogs at every ground.” Recommendations from the Euro 2020 report included stronger police powers against the use of illegal drugs.
    The independent review by ­former Government drugs tsar ­Baroness Casey slammed the thousands of football fans “fuelled by alcohol and drugs”.
    Experts at Oxford University have confirmed that cocaine use makes supporters more aggressive at football matches.
    ‘DOING BUMPS IN THE STANDS’
    One survey revealed that more than 30 per cent of fans had witnessed cocaine being taken inside a stadium — with six per cent admitting to personal use.
    However, drug possession or use was reported at only 103 of 2,663 regulated matches in England and Wales over the entire 2019-20 season, with the vast majority — 81 per cent — involving cocaine.
    Despite clubs promising tougher measures on stopping drugs being brought into grounds, one fan claimed cocaine usage was rife before and during games.
    The supporter, who does not want to be named, told The Sun: “You see huge queues in the toilets, you see them doing bumps off keys in the stands, or just off their hands. It’s everywhere.
    “I’ve never known it like this before, and it just feels like it’s getting worse and worse.”
    All the clubs where we found traces of drugs told The Sun they condemned use. Several Premier League clubs, including Arsenal, said they had sniffer dogs in place at every match and that fans were searched using security wands before entering the ground.
    Another Premier League club said they use dogs outside away turnstiles for every game and on occasions outside home turnstiles.
    Ground regulations clearly state that drugs are prohibited and measures such as detection dogs are used frequently to combat itPremier League Spokesperson
    Bosses at Tottenham Hotspur described the drug issue as a “societal problem” and that it took a zero-tolerance approach to drugs in the stadium.
    The club, where a fan was photographed appearing to snort a line of cocaine on the pitch in 2017, also said it works closely with the Metropolitan Police on drug-related issues, and anyone found with illegal substances are banned.
    Meanwhile, bosses at Brighton and Hove Albion said it was “increasingly concerned” about the use of cocaine at matches.
    The club added: “We will continue to take all necessary and possible steps to prevent any illegal substance coming into our stadium, and we will continue to impose very severe sanctions on anyone found to be carrying or using any illegal substance in or around our stadium.”
    The Premier League said it also condemns the use of drugs at stadiums, and its clubs are working alongside police to tackle the problem. A spokesman said: “Possession or use of cocaine is a criminal offence and can result in a football banning order. Ground regulations clearly state that drugs are prohibited and measures such as detection dogs are used frequently to combat it.
    “Our clubs continue to work closely with police on this issue.”
    Coke & booze go hand in hand with violence
    FANS can spend up to £300 a week on drugs for each match, one Premier League club supporter said.
    The season ticket-holder, who wanted his identity hidden, said: “Class As are becoming more prevalent, there’s more of a buzz for it these days. It’s beers, as much coke as possible, everyone is bang on it.
    “It’s the only thing that will straighten you out after a day on the booze, it’s what you need.
    “You don’t want pills, you will start loving people. Coke and booze go hand in hand with violence, it’s what we all want.
    “It’s also just the nature of the football. You get boozed up all day, and then do the gear.”
    The fan added: “They get it in bulk. If it’s a home game then you’re more likely to get a few grams in, but away days you’re talking lots more.
    “I know blokes who go with their kids and they still do it.
    “It’s so easy to get it both inside and outside the ground
    “Football is like going clubbing but during the day, and spending all day with close pals and they share the same passions, which bring you closer together.
    “If you’re all sharing the gear and the booze, then it brings you closer together.
    “Unless they get sent behind bars for years like they did with the hooligans, it’s not going to make a blind bit of difference.”

    We found traces of coke in ten of 14 toilet cubicles in the South Stand of the Eithad Stadium during Man City v Leeds, Dec 14
    During a Chelsea game against Everton on December 16, five out of the six loo-roll holders wiped in the Matthew Harding Lower Stand in Standford Bridge went blue, meaning cocaine was present
    Eleven of 14 toilets had traces of cocaine with lines on roll holders in the bathrooms at Tottenham stadium
    Five of six cubicles in the West Stand at Brighton’s Amex stadium had traces of cocaine – our reporter was also offered drugs
    Stewards replace barricades after they were knocked over by supporters outside Wembley Stadium in London, during the Euro 2020 final match between England and Italy, on July 11, 2021Credit: AP
    Moment England hero Harry Maguire’s dad’s ribs were broken in a horror crush during the security meltdown at the Euro 2020 Final at Wembley More

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    Aussie Olympian Nathan Baggaley handed 25-year prison sentence for £110m cocaine smuggling plot

    TWO-TIME Olympic silver medal-winning kayaker Nathan Baggaley has been jailed for 25 years for trying to smuggle up to £110MILLION worth of cocaine into Australia.Along with his brother Dru, the pair was found guilty by a Brisbane Supreme Court jury in April of attempting to import a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug in July 2018.
    Olympic silver medal-winning kayaker Nathan Baggaley has been jailed for 25 yearsCredit: AP
    Police seized a huge amount of cocaine that was linked back to the OlympianCredit: Supreme Court of Queensland
    During their trial in Brisbane, the court heard Dru, 39, and another man travelled hundreds of miles to pick up 650 kilograms of the drug from a foreign ship.
    It also heard the men began throwing the drugs overboard on their way back to the mainland when they spotted an Australian Navy patrol boat chasing them.
    The two men were arrested by Queensland Water Police shortly after the pursuit.
    Nathan, who won silver medals at the 2004 Athens Olympics in the K-1 and K-2 over 500 metres and is a three-time world champion over the K-1 500 distance, was charged almost a year later.
    It was discovered that he purchased and fitted out the boat which was used during the failed plot.
    Lawyers for the men argued Dru had believed the dozens of packages contained tobacco, while Nathan knew nothing about a plan to import any illicit substance.
    Judge Justice Ann Lyons rejected the brothers’ claims and sentenced them Tuesday on the basis that Dru was a principal organiser of the operation and his brother Nathan was actively involved on the day the two men went to sea, and was set to be rewarded substantially for his role.
    Nathan, 45, will have to serve 12 years in custody before he is eligible to apply for parole, while Dru will be eligible to apply for parole after 16 years.

    Nathan was banned for taking steroids in 2005 while still competing as a kayaker.
    The brothers were jailed in 2009 for manufacturing and supplying large numbers of ecstasy tablets.
    And again in 2015 for producing party pills and conspiring to make methamphetamine.
    Police intercepted the boat carrying the Olympian’s brother Dru
    Cops seized £105million worth of cocaine on the arrestCredit: Australian Federal Police
    Nathan Baggaley will now be spending a long period behind barsCredit: AP More

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    Packs of cocaine stamped with footballer Cristiano Ronaldo’s CR7 logo have been seized

    PACKETS of cocaine stamped with footballer Cristiano Ronaldo’s CR7 logo have been seized.Around 40kg of the class A drug — worth £3.2million — was found in the back of a lorry.
    Packets of cocaine stamped with footballer Cristiano Ronaldo’s CR7 logo have been seized
    The packets of drugs have no connection to Juventus’s Portuguese striker Ronaldo, 36Credit: AP
    Driver Vladimir Mrdak, 37, was arrested after the Border Force raid.
    Following questioning by the National Crime Agency, he was charged with attempting to import cocaine.
    Officers found the taped packages in boxes on top of bottle tops and paper towels near the Channel Tunnel in Coquelles, France, on Monday.
    They have no connection to Juventus’s Portuguese striker Ronaldo, 36.
    Drugs are commonly branded so customers know which crime group produced them.

    It comes after 50kg of cocaine in packages also branded with the CR7 logo was seized during a drug bust in New York in April.
    National Crime Agency branch commander Martin Grace said: “The seizure is a big setback for the criminal network.”
    Mrdak was remanded in custody at Folkestone Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday to appear at Canterbury Crown Court on August 16.
    Officers found the taped packages in boxes on top of bottle tops and paper towels near the Channel Tunnel in Coquelles, France, on Monday
    TONNE of cocaine worth £80 million washes up on Sussex coast after locals spot baggies tied to life jackets More