Former Belgian international Radja Nainggolan has been arrested in connection with an alleged cocaine smuggling operation between South America and Antwerp.
He retired from international football in 2018 after being controversially left out of Belgium’s World Cup squad that year.
According to Corriere della Sera, the former AS Roma midfielder is part of a wide-ranging investigation led by the Organized Crime unit of the Brussels public prosecutor’s office.
The operation involved coordinated raids on 30,000 properties across Antwerp and Brussels on Monday, January 27, 2025.
A statement from the Brussels public prosecutor’s office confirmed Nainggolan’s arrest.
“On Monday morning, the federal judicial police carried out thirty house searches as part of an investigation by the Organized Crime department of the Brussels public prosecutor’s office.
The searches primarily took place in Antwerp and Brussels,” the statement read.
“The investigation focuses on suspected cocaine trafficking from South America to Europe through the port of Antwerp, as well as its distribution within Belgium.
We can confirm that footballer RN (Radja Nainggolan) has been taken into custody in relation to this case.
As interrogations are ongoing, and in line with the presumption of innocence, we will provide no further comment at this time.”
Nainggolan, 36, currently plays for Belgian lower-division club Lokeren-Temse. He is best known for his time in Serie A with Inter Milan, AS Roma, and Cagliari.
