Ex-LaLiga player accepts six-year prison sentence, pleads guilty to leading a drug trafficking gang
Ex-MLS and LaLiga footballer accepts SIX YEAR prison sentence after pleading guilty to running drug ring in Spain
- Sergio Contreras, aka Koke, played for Houston Dynamo, Malaga and Marseille
- He was accused of buying large quantities of drugs that were smuggled in trucks
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Former MLS and LaLiga player Sergio Contreras, also known as ‘Koke’, pleaded guilty to leading a gang of drug traffickers and accepted a six-year prison sentence in a Malaga court.
The 40-year-old, who also played for Houston Dynamo and Malaga, Marseille and Sporting Club, agreed to a plea deal after being warned prosecutors had initially demanded a 16-year prison sentence.
The verdict will be pronounced in the coming days and cannot be appealed.
The former striker was one of 17 defendants charged with buying large quantities of drugs which were then smuggled in trucks to various European countries. Koke had been described as the gang leader in a preliminary indictment.
The gang, which the ex-football star has now admitted was in charge of, mainly bought marijuana and cannabis resin, but also cocaine, according to the British outlet. The mirror.
Sergio Contreras, also known as ‘Koke’, pleaded guilty to leading a gang of drug traffickers
The 40-year-old played for Houston Dynamo (above), Malaga and Marseille and Sporting Club
The gang was dismantled in November 2019 after an intense investigation by Spanish police in an operation codenamed Operation Vinculada.
One of the drug smuggling deals linked to the ex-footballer’s gang, which consisted of vacuum-packed marijuana and cocaine hidden in a shipment of garlic, was valued at £350,000 ($440,430), according to the report.
16 of the defendants attended a trial in Malaga’s provincial court on March 27, but it was suspended after the 17th and final female defendant, whom police are said to be still tracking down, failed to show up.
All 16 who showed up for the first trial admitted their guilt during a brief hearing on Tuesday.
As part of the plea deals they’ve made, they’ve agreed to accept prison terms ranging from two to six years.
He was one of 17 suspects in buying large quantities of drugs that were smuggled in trucks
Koke began his football career with his hometown club Malaga, making his senior debut in 2002.
He made seven MLS appearances for Houston in the 2011 season, before returning to Spain where he joined Rayo Vallecano for a brief spell.
His best seasons were with Aris where he scored 31 goals in 141 appearances during his two spells with the Greek side before retiring in 2016.
The first of his two spells with the Greek team included a brief cameo in a 3–0 2011 Europa League defeat to Manchester City.