Inter Milan’s Belgian midfielder Radja Nainggolan (second right) is congratulated by Inter Milan’s Argentine forward Lautaro Martinez left), Inter Milan’s Croatian midfielder Ivan Perisic (second left) and Inter Milan’s Croatian midfielder Marcelo Brozovic (right) after scoring a goal during the Italian Serie A football match between Inter Milan and Sampdoria on Feb. 17, 2019 at the San Siro stadium in Milan.
(AFP/Miguel Medina)
A
Belgian professional soccer player of Indonesian descent, Radja Nainggolan, was arrested in his apartment in Antwerp on Monday for his alleged involvement in cocaine smuggling, local media outlets reported.
The Belgian police reportedly arrested Nainggolan as part of its wider investigation into cocaine trafficking from South America to Europe, which was smuggled via the port of Antwerp and redistributed across the country.
The Brussels Public Prosecutor's Office said in an official statement that it carried out 30 house searches on Monday across Antwerp and Brussels as part of its probe. It confirmed that Nainggolan would be held in custody during questioning.
More than a dozen people, whose details remain unclear, have also been arrested in the probe.
Nainggolan's lawyer Omar Souidi has denied his client’s role in the alleged crime, saying that he was a professional soccer player, not a criminal, Reuters reported.
Nainggolan's current club Lokeren-Temse later said in a statement in Dutch that it “respects the presumption of innocence and therefore cannot comment further.” It also confirmed that the player was absent from training on Monday morning.
Read also: New coach Kluivert eyes World Cup qualification
