Radja Nainggolan, former teammate of Lautaro Martínez at Inter, went from scoring an Olympic goal to being arrested for drug trafficking

The experienced Belgian midfielder Radja Nainggolanwho on Saturday had been in the news for his debut with an Olympic goal included in the Lokeren-Temse of his country’s Second Division, was arrested this Monday accused of international drug trafficking through the port of Antwerp, the Brussels prosecutor’s office indicated.

The police carried out around thirty searches this Monday morning in the province of Antwerp and also in the capital and its metropolitan area and several people were arrested, including “RN”, according to the statement.

Consulted by the agency France Pressa spokesperson for the prosecution confirmed that the initials correspond to Radja Nainggolan, 36, who played thirty games and scored six goals for the Belgian national team.

Nainggolanknown for his body full of tattoos and his usual mohawk, has an extensive career in Italy’s Serie A. He began his journey in Piacenza and then passed by Cagliari, Roma e Inter Milanwhere he was companions Lautaro Martínez and other Argentine soccer players.

In recent years the temperamental midfielder had defended the colors of Antwerp, Spal, Bhayangkara from Indonesia and this weekend had debuted in Lokeren-Temse with the peculiarity of having scored a direct goal from a corner in the match against Lierse.

The investigation, led by a Brussels investigating judge, focuses on “some alleged facts of cocaine importation from South America to Europe, through the port of Antwerp, and its redistribution in Belgium”indicates the statement from the prosecutor’s office.

The number of suspects detained was not specified. The prosecution promised to provide data “in more detail when the hearings come to an end and the investigating judge has been able to hear the suspects.”

After leaving Italian football for the first time – he then had a brief spell at SPAL – to return to Belgium in the European summer of 2021 to sign for Antwerp, the midfielder left his hometown club at the beginning of 2023 due to bad behavior . Months earlier he had been suspended for smoking an electronic cigarette on the bench, according to Belgian media.