Former Soccer Player Arrested for Drug Trafficking
A former soccer player, Jesús Emilio Díez de Mier, also known as ‘Txutxi’, has been arrested by the National Police in the Port of Santa María, Cádiz. He had been on the run since 2015 after being convicted of drug trafficking by the National Court.
The arrest took place on December 15 when agents were conducting a routine check on public roads. The former soccer player initially provided false information to the agents, which raised suspicions and led to his identification.
Díez de Mier was a professional footballer who played for Athletic Bilbao in the 1996-1997 season and later for other lower-category teams. He was convicted of introducing 950 kilograms of cocaine into Spain.
Criminal Organization
The National Court’s ruling, issued within the framework of Operation Ciclón, established that Díez de Mier was part of a criminal organization that introduced two containers from Argentina into the ports of Algeciras and Valencia between 2008 and 2009. The containers held a total of 950 kilograms of cocaine.
According to the court, the seized drugs would have been worth over 32 million euros on the black market. The National Court sentenced other former soccer players involved in the case to prison terms ranging from 5 to 12 years.
Díez de Mier has been brought to justice and admitted to prison to serve his pending sentence.